KATHMANDU: Presenting the federal budget for Fiscal Year 2026/27 before a joint session of the Federal Parliament on Friday, Finance Minister Dr. Swarnim Wagle announced a targeted expansion of the national safety net alongside an innovative civic campaign to optimize state resource distribution.

In a major legislative push for labor welfare, the government has set a firm deadline of mid-July 2026 to legally enroll laborers working across the country’s informal and unorganized sectors into the formal Social Security Fund (SSF) system.

This structural integration aims to mitigate labor vulnerabilities and provide a structured framework to resolve long-standing informal sector labor disputes.

Simultaneously, to ease the growing burden of social cash transfers on the state treasury, the government is introducing a voluntary austerity campaign targeted at affluent citizens. Under the slogan “Sakkne lai Todau, Nasakkne lai Jodau” (Break away if you can afford to, join if you cannot), the government will actively encourage financially capable, senior, or privileged citizens to voluntarily renounce their state-funded monthly social security allowances.

The resources saved from these voluntary waivers will be directly re-channeled to expand financial support for marginalized and economically vulnerable populations.