Kathmandu: Members of the National Assembly (NA) have expressed mixed views regarding the budget for the upcoming fiscal year. While some welcomed it as balanced and pro-citizen, others criticized it as unwanted.
According to National News Agency Nepal, during the general discussions on the government’s revenue and expenditure estimations for the fiscal year 2082-83 BS (2025-26) in the upper house session today, Geljen Sherpa said the budget focuses on enabling federalism. Sherpa highlighted the budget’s avoidance of program duplications across the three levels of government and its prioritization of development in backward areas, adding that it encourages policies to stimulate economic growth through the private sector.
Kamala Panta brought attention to Nepal’s placement on the FATF grey list due to poor economic governance and expressed concerns over the lack of clarity in the budget’s goals and performance indicators. She emphasized the importance of ensuring spending effectiveness, establishing monitoring mechanisms, and implementing result-oriented indicators. Panta also criticized the budget for not clearly addressing regional inequalities in access and distribution, urging the government to focus on completing previously incomplete projects.
Dr. Beduram Bhusal voiced criticism of the budget, stating that it fails to address existing challenges. He argued that it is not a pro-people budget and instead seems to serve corporate interests and support land mafias.
Conversely, Sharada Devi Bhatta described the budget as welcoming, with aims to improve the economy, create employment opportunities, support development, and enable better service delivery. Meanwhile, Urmila Aryal contended that the budget is dominated by distributive projects and does not leverage the potential of the IT sector.