Government launches voluntary social security renunciation campaign and announces massive hike in child nutrition allowance

Kathmandu: Finance Minister Dr Swarnim Waglé, while presenting the national budget for the fiscal year 2083/84, introduced a novel voluntary initiative titled “Give it up if you can, support those who can’t” regarding social security benefits.

This campaign encourages affluent citizens who are financially stable to voluntarily opt out of receiving state-funded social security allowances, thereby allowing the government to prioritize and redirect those resources toward the most marginalized and needy populations. Currently, the government provides various categories of social security benefits that reach up to 4,000 rupees per month.

In a landmark decision to bolster early childhood development, the Finance Minister also announced a dramatic increase in the child nutrition allowance.

Starting from the upcoming fiscal year, the monthly stipend provided for child nutrition will be raised from the current 500 rupees to an unprecedented 10,000 rupees. This significant twenty-fold increase reflects the administration’s strategic focus on improving public health outcomes and providing substantial direct financial support to families to ensure the well-being of the nation’s children.