NPC begins budget talks with MoF, MoFA, MoLJPA for FY 2026/27

KATHMANDU: Ministries began discussions on Sunday to formulate the budget for upcoming fiscal year 2026/27 following the formation of a new government. The National Planning Commission (NPC) held initial talks with three ministries under the coordination of the Ministry of Finance (MoF).

NPC spokesperson Harisharan Pudasaini said the commission had met the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs to focus on the mid‑term expenditure framework (MTEF), the budget ceiling set by the National Resource Monitoring Committee, and guidelines issued by the MoF.

“The discussion was launched to advance the formulation of the budget for the upcoming fiscal year 2026/27. We dwelt on how the plans could be made effective by setting priorities within the determined limits,” Pudasaini said. He added that each ministry must prepare a proposal incorporating policies, programmes and the budget in accordance with the Financial Procedure and Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2076, and that the budget ceiling and guidelines should be adhered to when submitting proposals to the NPC and the MoF.

Earlier, the MoF had given a deadline of today, March 29, for all ministries to forward their plans and project proposals. Ministries said they had been unable to accelerate preparations because of the formation of the new government, and the MoF is likely to extend the deadline.

MoF spokesperson Tanka Prasad Panday said: “The ministries were reminded to enter projects, plans and budgets into the Line Ministry Budget Information System (LMBIS) by today. The deadline could be extended to accommodate issues mentioned in the 100‑day governance reform plan, the ruling parties’ election commitments and other reform schemes.”

The MoF also said it was preparing an economic survey and a progress report on public corporations, known as the Yellow Book, in parallel.

(With inputs from RSS)