NC calls for higher budget in education & health sectors

KATHMANDU: The main opposition party, the Nepali Congress, has urged the government to ensure adequate budget allocation for the education and health sectors in the upcoming fiscal year 2083/84.

Speaking during Monday’s House of Representatives session on the principles and priorities of the Appropriation Bill, Chief Whip Basana Thapa emphasized that the government should focus on strengthening key social sectors rather than making cuts in essential services like health, education, and nutrition.

She noted that the country’s economic challenges remain unresolved, pointing to weak capital expenditure, lack of private sector confidence, rising inflation, increasing youth migration, and growing agricultural dependency on imports.

Thapa stressed the need for effective investment in job creation, agriculture, tourism, and hydropower development. She also urged the government to prioritize programs that generate employment and improve public service delivery.

“The government has presented its policy and programme for fiscal year 2083/84 and is now preparing the budget. At this stage, health, education, and nutrition should be treated as integrated development priorities rather than areas for reduction in spending,” she said, adding that the Finance Minister should take these concerns seriously.

She further called for structural reforms to address economic stagnation and ensure that public services become more efficient, accessible, and citizen-friendly.