KATHMANDU: In accordance with constitutional provisions, the federal government has been presenting the national budget annually on Jestha 15.
Similarly, provincial governments are required to present their budgets on Asar 1, while local governments must do so by Asar 10, as mandated by the Local Government Operations Act and the Intergovernmental Financial Management Act.
Following this provision, most local governments presented their budgets for the upcoming fiscal year on Tuesday, with some having done so even ahead of the deadline. However, in certain local units, the process has been stalled—citing either internal disputes or technical reasons.
Among the country’s six metropolitan cities, Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) has yet to present its budget. In contrast, Biratnagar, Birgunj, Lalitpur, Bharatpur, and Pokhara have already tabled their fiscal plans.
KMC—Nepal’s federal capital and one of the country’s largest local units in terms of budget size, reportedly larger than that of some federal ministries—has failed to meet the constitutional deadline due to internal conflicts.
The KMC Municipal Assembly has not convened for an extended period, and there has been no official statement explaining the delay. It is believed that a dispute between the chief administrative officer appointed by the federal government and Mayor Balendra Shah has disrupted the process.
There has reportedly been no discussion among KMC officials regarding the city’s annual policies, programmes, and budget. Similar issues have also been observed in a few other local levels, where policies and programmes remain unpresented.
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