Upcoming budget will be balanced: PM Shah

KATHMANDU: Prime Minister Balendra Shah said the budget for upcoming fiscal year 2026/27 will be balanced.

He made the remark during a meeting with federal lawmakers from Karnali Province at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers (OPMCM) in Singha Durbar on Monday, and assured them that Karnali will be treated fairly in the budget.

Speaking to MPs from Karnali, the prime minister said the government would prioritise governance reforms in his first year in office, Ramesh Malla, a lawmaker from Salyan Constituency No. 1, told RSS after the meeting.

Malla, an elected member of the House of Representatives from the Nepali Communist Party, said the discussion centred on the budget for fiscal year 2026/27. Lawmakers urged the prime minister to give priority to Karnali and to focus on governance reforms and the construction of physical infrastructure.

A wide range of issues were raised during the discussion, Malla said, including post-earthquake relief and reconstruction, pre-monsoon preparedness, and the development of road corridors and highways such as Karnali, Bheri, Rapti and mid-hill corridors, and routes including Madan Bhandari and Lumbini-Rara.

Participants also highlighted concerns over health insurance, maternal and child nutrition, petroleum exploration in Dailekh, wildlife risk management, and priorities across communication, electricity, drinking water, irrigation, agriculture, forestry, tourism and education sectors.

Members of Parliament from the Nepali Communist Party, CPN (UML), Nepali Congress and Rastriya Prajatantra Party took part in the discussion, which was hosted by the OPMCM.