Kathmandu: In the first month of the current fiscal year 2082/83 (2024/25), Nepal’s government debt increased by more than Rs 14 billion.
According to a report published by the Public Debt Management Office, the country’s total public debt stood at Rs 26.6957 trillion at the beginning of the fiscal year. By the end of Shrawan (mid-July), it had risen by Rs 14.02 billion, reaching Rs 26.8360 trillion.
This total amounts to 43.94 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the office stated.
Of the total public debt, external debt accounts for 52.26 percent, equivalent to Rs 14.0247 trillion, while domestic debt makes up 47.74 percent.
The government has targeted mobilizing Rs 595 billion in public debt for the current fiscal year. By the end of the first month, Rs 44.57 billion had already been raised, the office reported.
Compared to the annual target, debt mobilization so far represents 7.48 percent. Of the Rs 362 billion domestic borrowing target, Rs 40 billion—or 11.05 percent—was raised in the first month.
Similarly, of the Rs 233.66 billion external borrowing target, Rs 4.5748 billion—or 1.96 percent—was raised in Shrawan.
Meanwhile, the government has allocated Rs 411.01 billion in the current fiscal year’s budget for principal and interest payments on public debt. By the end of the first month, Rs 36.68 billion had already been paid.
Based on the annual allocation, the expenditure on debt servicing so far represents 8.93 percent, according to the Public Debt Management Office.
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