Lawmakers, who are the people’s representatives, often fail to play any role in creating the budget in a constitutional manner. And so, only the finance minister’s decisions are reflected in the budget proposal. There are various contradictions in the budget-making process, for which there is no proper implementation. For a pro-people budget, the people’s representatives should engage in the debate for realizing people’s rights. Unfortunately, parliamentary budget sessions turned into sessions of table-thumping and praising the parliamentary head.
The post-Covid drop in employment pulled a new group into poverty. But the statistics are quite old, which leads to a lack of information. So, the people creating the budget struggle with proper allocation. The budget for security and education has decreased, and allocation for the health sector is not enough. The proposed budget might have a lot of shortcomings, but it is just a draft, and with all the suggestions and criticism, it will be discussed in the parliament and made into a proper budget. Over the years, pre- and post-budget discussions were reduced due to the incumbent’s complete control on the media and freedom of expression.
Experts opined that the main strength of the nation’s economy is small and medium-sized enterprises, which do not get proper policy attention. Inequality is rising when the government is patronising its own people for political interest. Practical learning should be prioritised rather than getting certificates, and investment in employment must be increased. The budget should ideally support policy and a road map of advancement towards long-time planning.
For a pro-people budget, the parliament needs to be a house where democracy is exercised, dissent opinions are encouraged and protected and national interest is served. As the country’s democracy eroded over the years, and a hybrid or pseudo-democracy was installed without proper people’s mandates, we see people’s interest is compromised, and vested quarters are getting policy buttress.
