Kathmandu – The Ministry of Finance has introduced a series of decisions aimed at reducing unnecessary public spending and improving capital expenditure management.

According to the decision, meeting allowances for government staff will be scrapped, officials using private residences will not be entitled to housing allowances, and personal secretaries provided to lawmakers and political appointees will no longer be funded. Except for technical positions, no new posts will be created, and overlapping structures at federal, provincial, and local levels will be eliminated.

Foreign trips at government expense will be restricted, allowing only essential visits. Delegations led by the head of state or government at international conferences will be limited to a maximum of 10 members, while other delegations can include only up to three officials.

Key measures include:

• Freezing budgets of approved projects that have not started and restricting use of funds outside their original purpose.
• Halting transfer of federal projects to provincial and local levels until further review.
• Limiting contingency funds to 100% for projects under Rs 10 million and 2% for projects above Rs 10 million.
• Stopping creation of new programs in the 2082/83 budget year.
• Cutting all meeting allowances for government officials.
• Restricting consultancy services unless expertise is unavailable within the government.
• Banning new vehicle purchases for political and administrative officials, with a directive to repair and reuse old vehicles.
• Prohibiting government offices from building unnecessary infrastructure and requiring reuse of existing equipment like furniture and computers.
• Halting temporary or contract-based staff hiring beyond approved positions.
• Stopping additional security guards or perks for officials beyond what is legally mandated.

The ministry said these measures are designed to promote fiscal discipline, reduce wasteful spending, and ensure that capital expenditure is used effectively.