Govt’s arrears increases by over 14 percent

KATHMANDU, MAY 27: The government’s arrears increased by Rs 95.60 billion 14.05 percent in the last fiscal year. The 61st annual report of the Office of the Auditor General (OAG), presented to President Ram Chandra Poudel lately, shows that such arrears soared to over Rs 669.86 billion.

The Office of the Auditor General (OAG) audited a total of Rs 7,881.60 billion in FY 2022/23. According to the report, the arrears under the federal, provincial and local offices stood at Rs 46.53 billion,  Rs 6.57 billion, and Rs 31.02 billion, respectively. Additionally, other government agencies’ arrears reached Rs 11.48 billion.

At the same time,  3,277 government offices under the federal government were audited in FY 2022/23. Among the federal ministries, the Finance Ministry has the highest arrears, totalling Rs 25.47 billion followed by the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport at Rs 12.09 billion.

According to experts, the rise of government arrears in the last fiscal suggests an increasing misuse of state resources by violating the set rules.