Today Marks Final Day for Government Payments Under FY 2082/83 Budget

Today is the final day for government bodies across Nepal to process payments under the fiscal year 2082/83 budget. In accordance with the Economic Procedure and Financial Accountability Act, all payments must be completed digitally by Thursday, after which payment processing for the current fiscal year will stop from 12:00 midnight. Deputy Director General Om Prasad Rizal said the suspension applies to all tiers of government, including federal, provincial, and local bodies. Any payments not processed by today can only be made using allocations from the upcoming fiscal year's budget. According to the Office of the Controller General of Accounts, the government had spent Rs. 1.532 trillion, or 78 percent, of the total allocated budget of Rs. 1.964 trillion as of Wednesday. Current expenditure reached Rs. 1.030 trillion, representing 87.25 percent of its allocation. Capital expenditure stood at Rs. 163.17 billion, or just 40 percent of the allocated amount, while Rs. 338.37 billion had been spent under financial management, accounting for 90.17 percent of its budget. Government spending has accelerated sharply during the final week of the fiscal year as offices rush to clear pending payments. Payments totaling Rs. 11.48 billion were made on Wednesday, following Rs. 11.76 billion on Tuesday, Rs. 28.56 billion on Monday, and Rs. 2.84 billion on Sunday. Payments of Rs. 1.82 billion on Saturday, Rs. 12.84 billion on Friday, and Rs. 19.72 billion on the previous Thursday were also recorded. Despite the surge in overall spending, capital expenditure remains relatively low. Capital spending amounted to Rs. 6.74 billion on Wednesday, Rs. 4.56 billion on Tuesday, and Rs. 2.57 billion on Monday. With the payment deadline ending today, development agencies are facing heavy pressure to complete pending bills, particularly offices under the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure, including the Department of Roads, the Department of Urban Development and Building Construction, and their subordinate offices.