KATHMANDU: Minister for Science, Technology, and Innovation, Mahabir Pun, has urged provincial and local governments to allocate 1 percent of their capital expenditure toward science and innovation.

Taking to social media, Minister Pun called on provincial and local governments to formulate their upcoming budgets with this allocation in mind, noting that earmarking 1 percent of capital expenditure is a prerequisite for receiving science and innovation grants.

“Our ministry will take crucial steps that are absolutely necessary to make the country prosperous,” he said.

“I will continuously work to instill a culture of development, research, and innovation across federal, provincial, and local governments, as well as among the general Nepali public.”