KATHMANDU, April 26 -- Former finance ministers have suggested the government come up with a reality-based budget along with enforcing austerity measures effectively through the budget for the next fiscal year.

In a meeting with Finance Minister Barsha Man Pun on Thursday, the former finance ministers urged the government not to endorse a populist budget for FY 2024/25 at a time when the government is facing a huge crunch of financial resources.

"As it is not appropriate to extend the budget size extensively, it is better to allocate budget only for national pride projects, national priority projects and other under-construction projects," said Bishnu Prasad Paudel, former finance minister from the CPN-UML.

The government is drafting t...