Prime Minister’s Office Releases Latest Progress Report as Post-Disaster Needs Assessment Continues

Kathmandu / Oct. 02: The Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers has made public its latest progress report covering activities undertaken from August through October 2, 2026.

At a regular press briefing held at Singha Durbar today, Joint Secretary and spokesperson Hemraj Aryal presented details of the government’s progress during the period. The weekly press briefing, which had been suspended following the floods in the Bhotekoshi River in Rasuwa, resumed today, according to Prime Minister’s Press and Research Adviser Deepa Dahal.

According to Aryal, Prime Minister Balendra Shah participated in the 81st United Nations General Assembly in the United States from September 22 to 26 and addressed the General Assembly on September 25. In his address, he highlighted the devastation caused by the recent Bhotekoshi floods, as well as the broader challenges posed by the climate crisis.

A meeting of secretaries held on September 21 decided to ensure that road transportation remains uninterrupted and essential public services continue during the major festival season, including Dashain, Tihar and Chhath, as well as during the ongoing monsoon. Concerned agencies were instructed to maintain adequate human resources, equipment and other resources and prepare operational schedules accordingly.

The meeting also decided to strengthen joint market monitoring to control black marketing, price hikes and unfair trading practices during the festival season.

From August 25 to 27, the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers reviewed the implementation of the annual work plan for fiscal year 2025/26 and discussed the annual work plan for fiscal year 2026/27, including programmes expected to produce tangible benefits for citizens. The review involved officials from the Prime Minister’s Office and all federal ministries.

To improve governance, service delivery and development management, performance agreements for fiscal year 2026/27 were signed on September 3 between the secretaries and division chiefs of the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers. The agreements prioritize implementation of government policies and programmes, the budget, governance reforms and improvements that can be directly experienced by citizens.

Post-disaster assessment underway

The government said the damage and needs assessment following the Rasuwa floods, conducted under the leadership of the National Planning Commission, has been completed, while a broader Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) is currently underway.

The floods caused extensive damage in Rasuwa and surrounding areas after the Bhotekoshi River was hit by a major flood event.
From September 21 to 25, the Prime Minister’s Office conducted a training programme to strengthen statistical analysis capacity for policy analysis. The programme aimed to improve participants’ knowledge, skills and practical capacity to use data and evidence effectively in policy analysis and decision-making.

A total of 25 officials at the under-secretary and section officer levels involved in policy and planning from various government ministries, agencies and offices participated in the training.

The Prime Minister’s Office has also reviewed progress on decisions taken following consultations between the Prime Minister and representatives of the private sector, the Federation of Contractors’ Associations of Nepal, hotel associations, the Federation of Women Entrepreneurs’ Associations and the
Federation of Handicraft Associations. The review meetings involved the concerned ministries, including Finance; Industry, Commerce and Supplies; Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation; Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation; and Agriculture, Forestry and Environment.

Discussions and an interaction on the effectiveness of the government’s policy laboratory were also held. Twelve thematic areas have been forwarded to the Policy Research Institute for policy studies and review.

Government decision-making to become more digital

The Government of Nepal has introduced the Government Decision-Making (Simplification and Digitalisation) Regulations, 2026, aimed at making decision-making in public institutions faster, simpler, transparent, results-oriented, information- and communication-technology-based, paperless, time-bound and citizen-centred. The regulations were published in the Nepal Gazette on September 28, 2026.

The Prime Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund had received NPR 16.283 billion (approximately USD 121.5 million) as of October 2. Of this amount, NPR 1 billion (approximately USD 7.46 million) was transferred on September 1 to the Disaster Management Fund under the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, following a decision by the fund’s operating committee.

The authority subsequently provides funds from the Disaster Management Fund to affected local governments based on requests received from disaster-affected districts and local levels.

The Office also held a review meeting on implementation of the Sixth National Action Plan on Human Rights on October 2.

Public procurement and research

Under the Public Procurement Monitoring Office, 15 firms and companies have been blacklisted based on recommendations received from various public bodies and decisions taken by the government.

The office also provided advice and technical opinions to 49 public bodies regarding the procurement of construction works, consultancy services and goods.
During the reporting period, three public procurement training programmes were conducted, training 83 employees from various public bodies. An additional 129 employees received procurement training through partnerships with different public institutions.

In line with the 16th amendment to the Public Procurement Regulations, revised standard bidding documents have also been issued.

The Policy Research Institute is continuing research, prioritising issues related to the damage caused by the devastating floods of August 26 and the impacts of climate change.

Of 24 research projects approved for the current fiscal year, 19 have been completed and their reports prepared. Copy-editing has also been completed for three research reports, which are now undergoing layout preparation for publication.

Digital governance and citizen complaints

The Office of Information Technology and e-Governance under the Prime Minister’s Office has prepared rates and standards required for information technology system procurement and other related areas. The standards are currently at the final stage of approval.

Data mapping is also being carried out through physical visits to various ministries and government agencies as part of efforts to standardise government data. The report on the Nepal Enterprise Architecture Framework has been published for consultation.

Under the government’s Hello Sarkar public grievance mechanism, a total of 77,128 complaints were received between March 27, 2026, when the current government was formed, and October 1. Of these, 31,280 complaints were closed and 17,539 were resolved.

According to the Prime Minister’s Office, Hello Sarkar was operated around the clock to address complaints related to the Rasuwa floods, gas shortages, fertiliser shortages, failure to issue bills and invoices, shortages of consumer goods, foreign employment, malfunctioning driving licence systems and disruptions to road networks, among other issues. RSS