Jumbo Cabinet bleeds state coffers dry

Kathmandu,The ministers have not received money for allowances for the last two months, while funds have been managed from the District Treasury Controller Office to pay their salaries.The Prime minister's Office (PMO) faced budget deficit due to  formation of the largest ever 49-member Cabinet and an equally large number of personal assistants for them.According to the sources, PMO has not been able to clear bills submitted to the office claiming travel allowances for the last two months. "The budget allocated for travel allowances has already been finished but the bills are piling up here since April," said a PMO source. The government has to release around Rs 8 million monthly for ministers' salary. The total budget allocated for their salary this year was finished in February.The PMO has recently requested the Ministry of Finance to release Rs 6 million to clear the pending travel allowances. The government had allocated Rs 10 million for travel allowances of ministers in this fiscal year but the amount was spent before April.