Want to build a house in the city? Soon you’ll need an insurance policy first

One line buried in the FY 2026/27 budget can potentially change how cities in Nepal construct – and who pays when disaster strikes. A proposed budget provision would make insurance mandatory during building-map approval in urban areas, linking construction permission with risk protection.

The budget season in Nepal year after year follows a script. Income taxes, salaries, roads, hydropower, subsidies – these typically grab the headlines, and this year was no different. When Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle presented the budget to the Parliament on May 29, the newspaper headlines splashed with income tax rebates, an effort to promote artificial intelligence, reforms in the electricity sector, and a smaller civil service.