KATHMANDU: On the final legal day of the fiscal year, the Nepal government rushed out a massive Rs 33.16 billion to clear pending bills before freezing the regular payment system.

This single-day spending spree included Rs 12.42 billion for recurrent costs, Rs 2.35 billion for debt servicing, and Rs 18.39 billion for capital expenditures—the latter accounting for roughly 10% of the entire year’s infrastructure spending.

This last-minute spike highlights a chronic structural issue, as the government closed out the year having utilized just 44.51% (Rs 181.56 billion) of its total capital budget, and 79.69% (Rs 1.56 trillion) of its overall spending target.

Under fiscal accountability rules, the system is now locked for the final week of the fiscal year to prevent new liabilities, though pre-existing, documented dues can still be cleared under strict oversight.