KATHMANDU: The government has announced significant investment in Nepal’s road infrastructure in the budget for the upcoming fiscal year 2025/26.
Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel, while presenting the budget at the joint session of the Federal Parliament on Thursday, shared plans for major road and tunnel projects.
A total of Rs 2.6 billion has been allocated for the construction of the Nagdhunga-Naubise and Siddhababa tunnels. The government expects both tunnel projects to be completed within the next year.
To improve connectivity across the country, the government has also planned to expand an additional 422 km of the East-West Highway to four lanes. For this, a budget of Rs 21.19 billion has been allocated.
The Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport has received a total of Rs 152 billion to carry out development works in the coming year.
Similarly, the government has allocated Rs 2.56 billion to upgrade the Galchhi-Rasuwagadhi road, which leads to the Rasuwagadhi border, a major trade route with China. This road will be expanded to two lanes to ease transportation and trade movement.
The government has announced a budget of Rs 1.964 trillion for the upcoming fiscal year 2025/26.
Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Poudel presented the new budget during a joint session of both houses of the federal parliament on Thursday.
This year’s budget is Rs 103 billion higher than the budget for the current fiscal year, which stood at Rs 1.86 trillion.
