- Monday, 20 April 2026
Kathmandu, March 20: The prices of gold and silver have declined in the domestic market today. According to the Federation of Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, gold price has decreased by Rs 7,800 per tola (11.66 grammes) and silver by Rs 115 per tola.
The price of the yellow metals has been fixed at Rs 294,500 per tola today against Rs 302,300 on Thursday.
Similarly, silver is being traded at Rs 4,895 per tola today. It was Rs 5,010 on Thursday. According to international media, gold is bring traded at 4,700 US dollar per ounce and silver at 75 US dollar per ounce in the international market today.
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717 cottage and small industries added in Jhapa in eight months
Bhadrapur (Jhapa), March 20: A total of 717 new cottage and small industries have been registered in Jhapa district during the first eight months of the current fiscal year 2025/26, according to the Cottage and Small Industries Office, Jhapa.
Khina Timilsina, Information Officer at the Office, shared that among the new enterprises registered as of mid-March, 316 were categorized as industries and 401 as commercial firms.
Similarly, 635 industries and 627 commercial firms were renewed during the same period, said Information Officer Timilsina.
The Office reported that 213 businesses were shut down in the review period including 125 from the industrial sector and 88 from the commercial sector.
Likewise, 12 industries were relocated, 33 underwent ownership changes and 23 changed their names and 39 expanded their enterprises’ objectives over the period.
Timilsina noted that although the number of entrepreneurs formally closing their businesses officially is relatively low, many enterprises that fail to renew their registration on time have been operationally shut down.
The Office collected over Rs 13.56 million in revenue under various headings during the review period, according to the Office.
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NNRFC sets internal borrowing ceiling for federal, provincial and local levels in next FY
Kathmandu, March 20: The National Natural Resources and Finance Commission (NNRFC) has set the ceiling on internal loan that the federal, provincial and local levels can take for the upcoming fiscal year 2027/28.
Based on the macro economic situation, revenue trends, expenditure pressures, and the condition of the financial market, the Commission has emphasised on maintaining discipline in debt management and has formally recommended it to all three levels of government.
According to the recommendation made by the Commission to the government on March 11, the federal government will be allowed to mobilise internal debt up to a maximum of 5.5 percent of the total gross domestic product in the coming fiscal year.
This limit has been set to maintain overall stability and ensure the sustainability of debt. In the case of provincial governments, the right to raise internal debt is bound by certain conditions.
The NNRFC has recommended that the provincial government be allowed to take internal loans up to a maximum of 12 percent of the total revenue collected from the revenue shared by the Government of Nepal and its own internal sources. It is required that the necessary legal, structural, and procedural framework be completed, and prior approval from the Government of Nepal is mandatory for this.
A similar type of ceiling has also been set for the local level. According to the Commission, local governments can raise internal loans up to a maximum of 12 percent of the total of revenue shared from the federal and provincial governments and income received from their own sources. Approval from the Government of Nepal will also be mandatory for this.
However, it has been clarified that this limit will not apply to loans disbursed through specialised institutions established by the Government of Nepal for infrastructure development in local levels. The Commission has also provided detailed recommendations for the effective and sustainable use of internal loans.
It has been stated that when taking a loan, it is mandatory to evaluate the cost-benefit analysis of the project, the net present value, and the internal rate of return.
Particular emphasis has been placed on investing the internal borrowings only in commercial projects where the internal rate of return exceeds the investment capital and in social sector projects with high economic returns.
Similarly, the Commission suggested ensuring that the returns from the projects and programme, operated from loan investment, could cover principal and interest payments.
It shared that loan should be mobilized in the projects that contribute in production growth, employment creation, income growth, infrastructure development and capital formation.
As per the provision of Intergovernmental Fiscal Arrangement Act, 2074, the arrangement of mentioning internal debt as the source in the budget by provincial and local government only after getting approval from the Government of Nepal should be strictly implemented, reads the report.
Likewise, it was suggested to mandatorily mention international debt in source-based details in every project and programme while formulating budget. The Commission pointed out the need of developing integrated digital information system to maintain transparency and increase coordination in public debt management.
The Commission also recommended that internal loan could not be used in current and administrative expenditure. It also proposed to make arrangement of raising loan through short-term loan instruments at a time when interest-rate is low in the market and the renewal of such instruments should be included as new loans in the budget and be approved from the parliament.
All three tiers of government should regularly provide accurate details of revenue and expenditure, added the report. Arrangement should be made to submit the Commission the details of estimated and actual mobilization of internal debt categorized by region, project, heading and source at the end of every fiscal year.
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