Nepal Social Security Ministry Spends Just 54.3% of Annual Budget, Rescues 1,018 Children and 103 Mothers in FY 2082/83

Originally Published : 16/09/2026
Nepal Register publication : November 15, 2026
5 min read

Summary:

Nepal’s Ministry of Women, Children, Gender and Sexual Minorities, and Social Security has released its annual progress report for FY 2082/83, revealing low budget utilization and slow audit clearance despite significant achievements in child protection, maternal rescue, women’s empowerment, and social security coverage.

The Ministry of Women, Children, Gender and Sexual Minorities, and Social Security has published its annual report for fiscal year 2082/83, highlighting major achievements and persistent implementation challenges across its programs. According to the report, the ministry spent approximately Rs 832.72 million (54.30%) of its Rs 1.53 billion annual program budget, reflecting limited financial progress during the fiscal year. Recurrent expenditure reached 65.36%, while capital expenditure stood at just 44.98%. The ministry implemented 11 budget programs, including nine first-priority and two second-priority initiatives. The Women’s Upliftment Program recorded only 30.69% financial progress, while the Inclusive Empowerment Project for Sexual and Gender Minorities reported zero expenditure. Meanwhile, the National Child Rights Council achieved 89.71% budget utilization, demonstrating considerable differences in implementation performance across programs.

The report highlights significant achievements in child protection, emergency maternal healthcare, and women’s economic empowerment. Through the National Child Rights Council, authorities rescued and rehabilitated 1,018 children facing violence and other risks, while 12,477 children received child helpline services. Additionally, 31 children trafficked or abandoned in Nepal and India were repatriated, alongside another 70 children rescued from care facilities in various Indian states. Under the emergency air rescue program, 103 pregnant women, postpartum mothers, and newborns facing life-threatening conditions in remote areas were evacuated during FY 2082/83, bringing the cumulative rescue total since FY 2075/76 to 948. The ministry also implemented livelihood improvement programs in 111 local governments across 55 districts, benefiting 1,275 disadvantaged women through skills development and seed capital assistance. Furthermore, 100 local governments established women’s entrepreneurship facilitation centres, while approximately 400 women entrepreneurs participated in an international exhibition featuring 140 stalls.

In social security, the report states that 3,047,450 beneficiaries were enrolled in the Social Security Fund, with 23,500 employers participating in the contribution-based system. Total accumulated contributions reached approximately Rs 12.29 billion, including Rs 2.578 billion collected during FY 2082/83. The fund disbursed approximately Rs 561 million through 306,000 benefit claims covering healthcare, maternity, accidents, disability, dependent-family protection, and old-age security. Separately, government social security allowance records show 1,635,858 general senior citizen beneficiaries aged 70 and above, 374,045 widows, 177,259 Dalit senior citizens, and 320,134 Dalit children receiving benefits under their respective categories. The ministry also reported distributing 514 assistive devices to 225 persons with disabilities and delivering 764 physiotherapy sessions. Meanwhile, the Social Welfare Council approved 2,553 projects involving 2,324 organizations, with a combined proposed budget of approximately Rs 42.89 billion.

Despite these achievements, the report identifies serious financial accountability and administrative challenges. The ministry and its affiliated institutions recorded Rs 613.50 million in outstanding audit irregularities, of which only Rs 31.40 million, or 5.11%, had been cleared. Audit settlement among non-budgetary institutions, including the Social Welfare Council and associated funds, remained particularly low at 0.15%. The report attributes the slow clearance to incomplete financial records from former district-level women and children offices and longstanding unresolved audit observations. It also highlights difficulties in coordinating federal, provincial, and local government programs, managing anti-trafficking operations, and strengthening institutional accountability. Looking ahead, the ministry has prioritized improved intergovernmental coordination, an integrated social-sector information management system, stronger regulation of non-governmental organizations, and expanded protection and empowerment programs for women, children, senior citizens, persons with disabilities, Dalit communities, and other marginalized groups.