Nepal Finance Ministry Transfers NPR 85 million for Foreign Visits

According to data released by Nepal Foreign Affairs Ministry (MoF), the Ministry transferred NPR 84.51 million from one expenditure category to another to finance ministerial foreign visits.

As per the data, it transferred the said amount from miscellaneous category to delegation/foreign visit and reception expenditure category between April to June, this year.

Experts opine that the transfer of funds from one expense area to another could be justified during emergency. However, it could result in lack of financial discipline if otherwise.

Following are MoF expenditures provided for ministerial foreign visits during April-June 2019:

• A sum of NPR 21.9 million was spent on Nepal PM Oli’s visit to Vietnam and Cambodia between May 09-15, 2019
• NPR 30.96 million given for President Bidya Devi Bhandari’s China visit during the last week of April
• NPR 16.21 million spent on costs incurred during President Bhandari led delegation visit to the 63rd Session of the Commission of the Status of Women organized by the United Nations in March 2019
• NPR 1.52 million given to Nepal Law Commission (NLC) for expenditures of the three-member delegation attending the Commonwealth Association of Law Reform Agencies conference at Zambia
• NPR 5.82 million transferred to delegation/foreign visit and reception for daily allowance and fees to travel agency for air tickets given to delegates representing Nepal at various international conferences
• NPR 704,273 for Forest and Environment Minister-led delegation to Doha
• NPR 1.36 million for Chief Secretary-led delegation visit to Egypt and Israel
• NPR 955,245 million for Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister’s visit to New York for the UN Peacekeeping Defense Ministerial Meeting
• NPR 838,908 for Industry Minister Matrika Yadav’s visit to Dubai and Bahrain and many more..

Existing laws allow a transfer of only 10 percent for each ministry and their agencies.

Earlier Finance Ministry statistics also revealed that the Nepal Government had also spent NPR 10 million of taxpayers’ money on similar foreign trips.