Nepal government delivers on just a third of 100-day pledges

Nepal's Prime Minister Balendra Shah's administration has completed its first 100 days in office, but an analysis reveals it has delivered on only about a third of its initial commitments. Out of 100 pledges in its action plan, just 38 have been implemented, leaving approximately 62 percent of goals incomplete or in progress.

The government, formed on March 27, presented an ambitious roadmap covering public administration, digital governance, anti-corruption, and reforms in agriculture, infrastructure, health, and education. While some key areas show progress, many significant announcements remain on paper.

Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal defended the administration's performance, asserting that it has restored public confidence and strengthened institutional accountability. "If you compare us to previous administrations, this cabinet has demonstrated far greater capacity, drive, dedication and public accountability," Khanal told Kantipur. He added that this has produced encouraging early results and sent a strong message of honoring the public mandate through good governance, with future efforts focused on economic prosperity.

Among the administration's notable achievements within the 100-day timeframe is the commencement of refunds for small depositors impacted by the cooperatives crisis, as promised under Point 99. The first phase, initiated on May 18, has seen repayments to 378 depositors with less than Rs10,000 in affected cooperatives. So far, Rs44.35 million has been returned to 1,895 small depositors across three fully settled cooperatives, with three others nearing completion.

Another early target met was Point 3, which involved consolidating proposals from various political party manifestos into a shared national agenda. This resulted in an 18-point national commitment document, released slightly behind schedule, aimed at building political consensus on national development priorities. The government has also begun forming a taskforce to prepare a discussion paper on constitutional amendments, initiating consultations with political parties and civil society.

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If you compare us to previous administrations, this cabinet has demonstrated far greater capacity, drive, dedication and public accountability. That has produced encouraging early results and sent a strong message that the government is honouring the public mandate by pursuing good governance. Public expectations are now centred on economic prosperity, and the coming days will demonstrate our commitment to achieving that.