KATHMANDU: Prime Minister Sushila Karki has pledged to make arrangements for the inclusion of Nepal Sambat on Nepali banknotes.

Speaking at a program organized by the National Luminary Shankhadhar Sakhwa Foundation on Wednesday, Prime Minister Karki said she would consult with the Nepal Rastra Bank and initiate the necessary process to mention Nepal Sambat on national currency notes. Although Nepal Sambat originated in Kantipur and Bhaktapur, she said, it represents the nation’s unique and indigenous calendar system.

She described Shankhadhar Sakhwa, the founder of Nepal Sambat, as a national luminary who was not a profit-driven trader but a benevolent merchant devoted to public welfare.

Karki praised him as a visionary social reformer and humanitarian who uplifted the impoverished.

Recalling the historical origins of Nepal Sambat, Karki said that around 1,146 years ago, during the reign of King Raghav Dev, Shankhadhar Sakhwa freed indebted citizens from poverty by clearing their loans.

That historic act, she said, marked the foundation of Nepal Sambat.

The calendar did not arise from royal power or military victory but from the generosity and sacrifice of a merchant, giving it a unique moral and cultural value, she added.

Prime Minister Karki further stated that the government is committed to promoting and implementing Nepal Sambat by mentioning it in official documents as well.