Government Allocates NPR 218.3 Billion for Education Sector in FY 2083/84, NPR 4.03 Billion for Sports

Kathmandu. The government has allocated a budget of NPR 218.3 billion for the education sector for the upcoming fiscal year 2083/84. Finance Minister Dr. Swarnim Wagle announced this during the presentation of the annual budget in a joint session of the Federal Parliament. The government has allocated NPR 1 billion to identify the infrastructure needs of community schools across the country for the promotion of quality education. Similarly, it has been announced that four medical education programs, including MBBS, will be conducted from the academic session 2083/84 at Shahid Dashrath Chand Health Sciences University in Geta, Sudurpashchim Province. A budget of NPR 8.6 billion has been set aside for targeted scholarship programs from school level to higher education. Under the policy to promote the study of music, art, and literature, a Guthi Research Institute and Ethnomusicology Center will be established in the premises of the Mahadev Temple in Tripureshwor. Finance Minister Wagle informed that policy facilitation will be provided for international universities to operate campuses in Nepal, and academic exchange programs between domestic and foreign professors will be conducted. He also stated that legal arrangements will be made to provide universities with educational, administrative, and financial autonomy. The budget also includes plans to provide opportunities for youth working in foreign employment to study through open universities, conduct student and teacher exchange programs for students from grades 5 to 8, and operate residential schools for communities lagging behind in human development index. This program will be initiated from the Chepang community in Chitwan. Similarly, the government has allocated a budget of NPR 4.03 billion for the sports sector. Through the budget, it has been announced that 10 football stadiums will be upgraded with floodlights, and modern cricket stadiums will be constructed in eight major cities within five years. Indoor multipurpose stadiums with a capacity of at least two thousand spectators will be constructed within three years in Biratnagar, Lahan, Kathmandu, Pokhara, Butwal, Surkhet, and Dhangadhi. Similarly, the budget mentions that the design of Mulpani Cricket Stadium, Girija Prasad Koirala Cricket Stadium, and Fapla Cricket Stadium will be reviewed and investment modalities will be determined. The government has also announced that students with special abilities in sports will be selected from the school level and provided with residential facilities and training, and international medal-winning players will be provided with lifelong free health treatment. The government has also stated that a budget has been allocated for the construction of necessary infrastructure for the 10th National Games to be held in Surkhet and the proposed 11th National Games in Madhesh Province.