Rastriya Prajatantra Party Chief Whip Khushbu Oli Draws Government's Attention to Financial Equalization Grant Cuts

Kathmandu. Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) Chief Whip Khushbu Oli has drawn the government's attention to the cuts in financial equalization grants being sent to the provincial and local levels. Speaking in the House of Representatives meeting on Thursday, Oli said that the government's interventionist tendency has attacked the autonomy of constitutional bodies and the spirit of federalism. The Chief Whip mentioned that Article 251 of the Constitution of Nepal clearly defines the role and authority of the National Natural Resources and Fiscal Commission, and the grant cut has raised questions about the commission's relevance. She stated that the government's 10 to 25 percent cut in the ceiling sent to local levels has halted payments for projects that have already been completed, putting local governments in great financial distress. She commented that the government's 'no file' campaign and the contradictory policy of grant cuts are hindering good governance. Interpreting financial equalization grants not as charity or favor but as a constitutional right, she said that the lack of it has severely affected the delivery of basic services. She mentioned that local levels are currently struggling to fulfill basic responsibilities such as teachers' salaries, provision of medicines in health posts, irrigation, rural roads, and disaster management. She said, 'Files that have been completed at the local level are not being paid due to lack of resources, and as a result, on one hand, local governments are in distress, and on the other hand, injustice is being done to individuals or companies who do not receive payment.' She criticized the tendency to centralize power and only pile up responsibilities at the lower levels. Chief Whip Oli demanded an increase in financial equalization grants to make local governments more autonomous, accountable, and people-oriented, and to gradually reduce conditional grants of a centralizing nature. She emphasized that the financial progressiveness claimed by the government should be a genuine commitment to the people, not just a political weapon.