KATHMANDU: The Ministry of Finance has initiated discussions with various thematic ministries to ensure the effective implementation of the budget for the current fiscal year 2025/26.
According to the secretariat of Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Poudel, the first round of discussions was held today with the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Supplies.
The meeting focused on the legal, procedural, and practical preparations required for implementing ministry-level plans and programs outlined in the fiscal budget.
Key budgetary priorities of the Ministry of Industry include technology transfer and training under the Bhagat Sarwajit Entrepreneurship Development Program, aimed at promoting employment and income-generation by preserving traditional skills, crafts, and professions, while linking local products to broader markets.
The discussions also addressed the issue of reducing pollution in the Kathmandu Valley by relocating industries to designated industrial zones outside the valley. Special concessions will be provided to industries that relocate.
Other key topics included the establishment of an internationally accredited quality-testing laboratory in Nepal, with recognition from countries such as India and China, and the development of modern industrial zones in Mayurdhap (Makawanpur) and Shaktikhor (Chitwan).
Present at the meeting were Finance Minister Poudel, Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Damodar Bhandari, Finance Secretary Ghanashyam Upadhyay, Revenue Secretary Dinesh Kumar Ghimire, and Industry Secretary Dr. Ram Prasad Ghimire, among others.
The Ministry of Finance has announced plans to hold similar discussions with all thematic ministries and departments to ensure the timely and effective implementation of the current fiscal year’s budget.
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