Karnali Chief Minister Criticizes Central Government's Budgetary Neglect, Highlights Sports Development Efforts

Surkhet. Karnali Chief Minister Yamlal Kandel said that Karnali has always been neglected by the central government. He said that the current government led by Balen Shah has also neglected Karnali in the budget.

‘The central government has always neglected Karnali in the budget,’ he said while speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the Under-19 National Women's Cricket Tournament held in Birendranagar on Friday. ‘It was the same this time too. Karnali Province comes a lot in words, but it's pathetic when it comes to numbers.’

Kandel said that the provincial government is building sports infrastructure with limited resources to make Karnali a hub for sports.

Kandel said that although the Karnali Province government is ready to host the 10th National Games, it is being delayed due to the federal government. ‘We are fully prepared for the 10th National Games,’ he said. ‘The 10th National Games are not being held on time due to the central government.’

Roshan Singh, central vice-president of the Cricket Association of Nepal, said that a selection tournament has been organized in Karnali to develop women's cricket from Karnali. ‘There is a special meaning in organizing a national women's cricket tournament from Karnali, which is facing a shortage of infrastructure and players,’ he said. ‘CAN's objective is to develop cricket from Karnali.’

Prambhadur Shahi, CAN Treasurer and President of Karnali Province, said that there is high potential for sports tourism in Karnali. He said that CAN is doing important work for the development of cricket in Karnali and will continue to do so in the coming days.

He said that if the provincial government builds cricket infrastructure, CAN will help in its conservation, maintenance, and further enrichment. He informed that national team players will be selected from the ongoing National Women's Under-19 tournament in Karnali, and that team will participate in the World Cup to be held in 2027.

Attractive prizes have been arranged for the teams and players who perform excellently in the tournament. The winning team will receive a cash prize of five lakh rupees, and the runner-up team will receive three lakh rupees.

In individual categories, the best player (Player of the Series) will receive 40 thousand, the best batter 25 thousand, the best bowler 25 thousand, and each ‘Player of the Match’ will be awarded three thousand rupees.