KATHMANDU: The performance of Nepal’s ministries in the first six months of the current fiscal year has raised serious concerns about the government’s efficiency, with several ministries—including the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport—failing to meet the milestones they themselves set.
A progress report released by the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers reveals that key ministries have made little headway in their planned targets, with significant discrepancies in the achievement of set goals.
Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport, Devendra Dahal, has faced criticism for his ministry’s lack of progress. With only 15.8% of the half-yearly milestones achieved, the ministry is far from meeting the expectations set for the fiscal year.
Of the 19 programs scheduled for completion by the month of Poush, only three were successfully completed, signaling a severe shortfall in the ministry’s performance.
But the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport is not alone in its underachievement. A total of 12 ministries, including the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers itself, have failed to meet the 50% benchmark in their milestone progress by the end of Poush.
The Ministry of Women and Children, another key ministry, completed just three out of the 14 programs it had aimed to finalize by Poush.
The Ministry of Labor, Employment, and Social Security fared no better, completing only five out of 20 planned programs by the same deadline. This raises serious questions about the government’s ability to meet its own targets and the effectiveness of its planning and implementation processes.
The Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, which is responsible for overseeing the overall progress of the government’s work, itself lagged behind its goals.
Although the office had set an ambitious target of completing 44 programs by Poush, it managed to complete only 19, achieving just 43.2% of its milestones. This suggests that even the central office, tasked with guiding and managing the progress of other ministries, is struggling to stay on track.
Other ministries such as Finance, Drinking Water, Industry, Commerce and Supplies, Education, Science and Technology, Foreign Affairs, Forest and Environment, Urban Development, Youth and Sports, and Labor, Employment and Social Security also scored poorly, with none achieving 50% of their respective targets.
This broad underperformance indicates systemic issues in the management and execution of government programs, leaving citizens questioning the accountability and efficiency of the administration.
As the government approaches the latter half of the fiscal year, the failure to meet these critical milestones raises concerns about the timely implementation of essential projects across sectors. The shortfall in the completion of key infrastructure, social welfare, and developmental programs further highlights the difficulties Nepal’s government faces in executing its plans effectively.
Critics argue that these underachievements reflect poor planning, lack of coordination between ministries, and an absence of stringent monitoring mechanisms. With many vital programs still incomplete, the ability of the current government to meet its long-term developmental goals is increasingly being called into question.
At a time when Nepal is facing numerous economic and infrastructural challenges, the inability to achieve set milestones may have far-reaching consequences for the nation’s growth.
Citizens, industry stakeholders, and political commentators are urging the government to take immediate corrective actions to address the shortcomings in project execution and to ensure that the remaining programs are completed on time.
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