KATHMANDU, May 30: Hark Raj Rai (Harka Sampang), Chairperson of the Shram Sanskriti Party, has expressed strong dissatisfaction with the government’s newly announced budget, criticizing it for failing to present concrete plans for job creation.
Through a series of social media posts, Rai accused the budget of focusing only on those who already have jobs while neglecting unemployed youth. He wrote: “The salaries of those who have jobs have increased. But what has increased for those who don’t? Come and ask for jobs, young people. There was a promise to create 1.2 million jobs, yet everyone remains silent.”
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He warned that increasing only the salaries of government employees without creating new jobs with minimum wages for youth would face opposition. He also called on young people to launch a movement demanding large-scale economic transformation and employment opportunities within Nepal.
His remarks were primarily directed at the ruling National Independent Party (RSP), which had pledged through its election “contract paper” to create 1.2 million new decent jobs in information technology, construction, tourism, agriculture, and industry within five years.
Earlier on Friday, during a joint session of Parliament, Finance Minister Dr. Swarnim Wagle presented the budget for the upcoming fiscal year and announced a salary increase for civil servants.
According to the announcement, net compensation will rise by approximately 21 percent, including grade adjustments, bringing the minimum monthly salary to around NPR 40,000 and some salaries to over NPR 100,000.
Finance Minister Wagle stated in the budget speech that salaries had not been increased for the past four years, inflation had reached 17.3 percent, and restructuring compensation had become necessary to ensure a dignified standard of living for employees.
