Prime Minister's Office Outlines Progress on Floods, Festivals, and Digital Reform

The Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers has unveiled a comprehensive progress report detailing administrative, disaster-response, and regulatory actions undertaken since mid-August, according to officials who addressed a regular press briefing at Singha Durbar.

Briefings had been temporarily halted following severe monsoon flooding across the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river corridors. During the briefing, joint secretary and spokesperson Hemraj Aryal outlined measures spanning festival market monitoring, public grievance redressal, digitization of government decisions, and flood recovery, as reported by Nagarik News and My Republica.

Disaster response formed a major pillar of the update. Aryal noted that the National Planning Commission is spearheading a post-disaster needs assessment following damage from the late August flooding. Prime Minister Balendra Shah had also highlighted the calamity and its links to the climate crisis during his address to the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 25. Financial records shared during the briefing show that the Prime Minister's Disaster Relief Fund has accumulated Rs 16.28 billion, from which Rs 1 billion was disbursed on September 1 to the Disaster Management Fund under the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority.

Addressing consumer concerns ahead of Dashain, Tihar, and Chhath, the government has directed relevant agencies to field joint market monitoring teams to suppress artificial price hikes and hoarding, Annapurna Post reported. A secretary-level meeting on September 21 also ordered transport and utility departments to keep equipment and personnel on standby so that ongoing monsoon rains do not disrupt highway transit or essential public services.

On public administration, the Council of Ministers published the Government Decision-Making Process (Simplification and Digitalisation) Regulations, 2083 BS in the Nepal Gazette on September 28. The framework is intended to shift state agencies toward paperless, time-bound, and transparent digital procedures. Complementary efforts by the IT governance division include draft procurement standards for public software systems and data-mapping initiatives across federal ministries.

The spokesperson also addressed administrative accountability, noting that the Public Procurement Monitoring Office has blacklisted 15 non-compliant contractors and companies following recommendations from state agencies. Meanwhile, the central grievance portal Hello Sarkar has handled 77,128 complaints since the current government assumed office in late March, settling 31,280 cases and fully resolving 17,539.

Aryal also dismissed allegations that Prime Minister Shah had deliberately avoided parliament, Kalakarmi reported. The spokesperson clarified that preparations had been in place for the prime minister to address the House of Representatives on August 26, but the speech was called off because catastrophic flash floods struck the country that same day, rendering the planned address unfeasible.