Kathmandu, April 26 -- Parliamentarians have been thronging the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport with requests to include a wide range of development projects in the upcoming national budget, many of them small-scale schemes that experts say should fall under provincial or local governments.

Officials say the rush has intensified as the government prepares the budget for the next fiscal year, with lawmakers submitting written proposals demanding funds for roads, bridges and other works in their election constituencies. Several of these proposals involve projects costing only a few million rupees, despite existing guidelines discouraging the federal government from funding such small projects.

According to the ministry, ...