KATHMANDU: The government has agreed to implement a plan to include temporary, contract, and daily-wage workers in public service under the Social Security Fund.

The decision aligns with the fiscal year 2025/26 budget speech, a Supreme Court ruling, and a report from the Prime Minister’s Office.

The Finance Ministry has given a policy-level approval, clearing the way for the Ministry of Labour to move ahead with implementation.

A separate contribution-based package will be introduced in the upcoming fiscal year 2026/27 budget, where both the government and workers will contribute to the fund.

The Labour Ministry had earlier requested approval, but the plan could not move forward last year due to lack of consent from the Ministry of Finance.

Under the proposed system, contract employees will be enrolled with contributions calculated on at least 60% of their salary as the basic wage—20% paid by the employer (government) and 11% by the worker.

Officials say around 35,000 contract and daily-wage workers receiving government salaries will be brought under the scheme.

The Social Security Fund currently covers formal, informal, and foreign employment sectors.

It has enrolled over 29.39 million workers so far and collected around Rs 110 billion in contributions.