Kathmandu, May 19: Finance Minister Dr Swarnim Wagle has said that the government’s top priority is good governance.
Corruption, dilly dallying, middlemen and illegal takeover of institutions have not only increased the cost of the state, but have also weakened the trust of the citizens. Therefore, this government has moved forward on the path of system reform,” the Finance Minister said.
In response to the queries raised by the lawmakers on the priorities and principles of the Appropriation Bill (for the new fiscal year) in today’s meeting of the National Assembly, he said that arrangements such as e-governance, digital delivery, data integration, performance contact have been adopted as the basis for changing the culture of state governance.
Making it clear that the government’s main objective is to embark on a long journey of good governance, he mentioned that the principles and priorities of the Appropriation Bill have been determined accordingly. The expansion of the middle class does not mean providing facilities to a limited group, but its main goal is to raise the economic status of the poor, landless squatters and deprived communities, the Finance Minister said.
He said that real social mobility is possible only by increasing the income, skills, productivity and access to opportunities of the citizens. Clarifying that linking social justice with economic development is a special priority of the government, the Finance Minister expressed his determination to implement the budget for the upcoming fiscal year and assured that it would be a working and implementation-oriented document.
The Finance Minister said that the government is on a ‘mission mode’ by placing legal reforms, institutional accountability, time limits, digital tracking, direct monitoring and outcome measurement at the center of state operations. “Special emphasis has been laid to the dividend of good governance, restructuring of the economy, integrated infrastructure, social investment and multidimensional international relations.”
The private sector has been considered as the leader of economic development, he said while adding that emphasis has been placed on private sector partnership in the construction of physical infrastructure.
