Finance Ministry Releases Rs19.21 Billion to Accelerate Election Preparations

Kathmandu — The government has stepped up preparations for the upcoming House of Representatives election by releasing Rs19.21 billion to cover election-related and security expenses. The funds were released by the Ministry of Finance ahead of the election scheduled for Falgun 21.

According to Finance Ministry spokesperson Tank Prasad Pandey, the released amount includes Rs10.39 billion for the Ministry of Home Affairs, Rs1.99 billion for the Ministry of Defence, and Rs6.72 billion for the Election Commission of Nepal. The Election Commission has estimated that the total cost of conducting the election will be around Rs27 billion, and more than 70 percent of the required funds have already been released.

Heavy Spending on Election Security

Earlier, the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Defence had submitted a proposal seeking over Rs20 billion for election security arrangements. The proposal was prepared after estimating expenses for the Nepali Army, Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, National Investigation Department, and election police.

The Central Security Committee has decided to deploy 147,000 election police personnel for election security, with a 40-day deployment period. For allowances including remuneration, uniforms, rations, meal allowances, and transportation, Rs9.15 billion has been allocated.

In addition, budget allocations include:

• Rs4.02 billion for Nepal Police

• Rs3.44 billion for the Nepali Army

• Rs3.33 billion for the Armed Police Force

• Rs314.6 million for the 77 District Administration Offices

• Rs310 million for the Ministry of Home Affairs

• Rs69 million for the National Investigation Department

In terms of manpower deployment, 79,727 personnel from the Nepali Army, 71,620 from Nepal Police, 35,116 from the Armed Police Force, and 1,900 from the National Investigation Department are expected to be mobilized to ensure election security.

Comparison With Previous Elections

For the 2079 House of Representatives and Provincial Assembly elections, the Finance Ministry had released Rs18.05 billion. At that time, the Election Commission received Rs8.35 billion, the Ministry of Home Affairs Rs8.72 billion, and the Ministry of Defence Rs970 million. Of the total amount released, approximately Rs16.5 billion was actually spent, according to official records.

In terms of spending efficiency, the Election Commission utilized 81.59 percent of its allocation, the Ministry of Home Affairs 99.77 percent, and the Ministry of Defence 100 percent.

Similarly, during the local level elections in fiscal year 2078/79, the government released Rs13.31 billion, of which more than 90 percent was spent.

Interpretation: Focus on Timely Funding and Transparency

Finance Ministry officials say the government has continued its practice of releasing election-related budgets on time to ensure security, transparency, and effective management of elections. Analysts note that the higher allocation this year reflects both expanded security deployment and rising operational costs, while timely fund release is expected to help avoid last-minute logistical challenges.

As election day approaches, the scale of funding and security mobilization underscores the government’s emphasis on conducting a safe, orderly, and credible election, even as public scrutiny remains high over efficient use of public funds.