Banking Khabar / A new government under Balendra Shah has made public the asset details of its ministers within 17 days. While past governments only submitted these details to the authorities, the current administration, as promised in its election manifesto, is ensuring full transparency.
The government has also decided to investigate the assets of former public office-holders since 2047 (Nepali calendar). While ministers are required to submit asset details under the Corruption Prevention Act, they were not legally obligated to make them public in the past.
The newly released asset details show that most ministers have substantial wealth, including property, shares, gold, silver, and livestock, indicating a well-off economic status for many cabinet members and their families.
Social Media Listed as Prime Minister’s Primary Asset
The definition of assets has expanded to include not only properties, bank balances, and gold and silver jewelry but also social media followers. Prime Minister Balendra Shah has listed social media as his main source of income in his asset declaration. He revealed that his bank balance is 14.6 million Nepali rupees, with social media being the primary source of this income.
The Prime Minister has 4 million followers on Facebook, 1.2 million on YouTube, and 500,000 on X (formerly Twitter). He does not own any property in his own name, but his parents, particularly his mother and father, hold significant amounts of land. He has identified social media as the source of his wealth.
Prime Minister Shah’s wife, Sabina Kafle, owns 190 tolas of gold and jewelry. The assets, which include gold, silver, and diamonds, have been mentioned as “ancestral” in the asset declaration. In terms of land, his mother owns a 5-ana plot in Kathmandu, while his father holds 1.5 bighas in Dhanusha and 9 bighas in Mahottari. Prime Minister Shah has not listed any shares in his asset details.
Home Minister Sudhan Gurung: 89 Tolas of Gold, Millions in Shares
Home Minister Sudhan Gurung holds 89 tolas of gold and 19 ropanis and 15 annas of land in Dhankuta, which he acquired through investments. His father, Dilbahadur Gurung, possesses 30 katha of land in Bharatpur-18, Gunjnagar, Chitwan, while his grandfather, Ramshul Gurung, owns 221 ropanis of land in Chunnubri, Gorkha, which has not yet been divided.
Minister Gurung has made substantial investments in the stock market, with holdings exceeding 43.1 million Nepali rupees. This includes 30,000 shares in Hope Holdings Pvt. Ltd., valued at 3 million rupees, and 5,700 shares in Lagum Premium Apartments Pvt. Ltd., worth 5.7 million rupees, as per his asset report. He emphasized that the majority of his investments are in “stocks traded on the securities market,” amounting to 27.4 million rupees. In addition, he holds 70,000 shares in Adventure Villa Pvt. Ltd., valued at 7 million rupees, according to his asset declaration.
Finance Minister Wagle: Four Houses, Modest Bank Balance
Finance Minister Dr. Swornim Wagle has revealed that he owns four houses and apartments. Having spent a long time working abroad, Wagle has identified his overseas employment as the primary source of his wealth. His properties include an apartment worth 2 million rupees in Sanepa, Lalitpur, a 5 million rupee property in Lalitpur, a 3.75 million rupee apartment in Kavre, and a 2 million rupee house in Tanahun. His bank balance stands at 19 million rupees. Dr. Wagle also disclosed that he owns 45 tolas of gold. In the asset details made public today, Finance Minister Wagle clarified that the 45 tolas of gold were acquired through earnings from his family and employment abroad.
Additionally, he reported owning 71,093 promoter shares in Sanima Middle Tamor Hydro and 25,762 promoter shares in Sangrila Development Bank. He also mentioned having investments worth 9 million rupees in National Fund Management Limited, 6 million rupees in Thulo Lakhola, and 30 million rupees in Upper Madi Hydro. Additionally, he disclosed owning a car worth 9.4 million rupees. Furthermore, he has some loans. He has borrowed 10.5 million rupees from Global IME Bank and 25 million rupees through a personal loan.He also stated that he has repaid loans of 3.8 million rupees from Nepal Commercial Bank and 7.5 million rupees from Standard Chartered Bank.
Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal: Land in Father’s Name, Shares in His Own
Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal’s properties are registered under his father, Surya Bhakta Khanal’s name. His father owns a 6-ana house in Kathmandu. Additionally, in the names of his father, there is 28 ropanis and 2 katha of land in Tanahun, Nawalpur, and Nepalganj. Minister Khanal has a bank balance of 1.3 million rupees and owns 22 tolas of gold. His assets also include shares in various companies, held jointly with his wife.
Minister of Energy Birajbhakta Shrestha: 15 Tolas of Gold, 6.4 Million in Bank
Energy Minister Birajbhakta Shrestha has disclosed owning 15 tolas of gold and 50 tolas of silver, which he attributes to family inheritance and his marriage. He has a bank balance of 6.4 million rupees and investments worth 1.45 million rupees in shares. Additionally, he owns a car, scooter, and an electric vehicle.
Minister of Law Sobita Gautam: 10 Lakh Bank Balance
Law Minister Sobita Gautam has revealed owning two properties—one in Kathmandu, registered under her husband’s name, and another in Chitwan, under her mother-in-law’s name. She has a bank balance of 1.05 million rupees and has also taken loans to purchase vehicles. She borrowed 2 million rupees from Global IME Bank for a car purchase and 2.5 million from Everest Bank for another vehicle. In her asset declaration, she listed 15 tolas of gold, 9 tolas of silver, and 1 tola of diamond.
Minister of Women, Children, and Senior Citizens Sita Badi: 18 Tolas of Gold, 20 Chickens
Minister for Women, Children, and Senior Citizens Sita Badi has disclosed her assets, which include 18 tolas of gold, 15 tolas of silver, 20 chickens, a dog, a scooter, three laptops, and two mobile phones. Her family also owns a Pulsar motorcycle, and she has a bank balance of 1.5 million rupees, along with 50,000 rupees in cash. The gold and silver were received as part of her marriage. Additionally, she owns 89.65 square meters of land in Surkhet.
Minister for Physical Infrastructure Sunil Lamsal: 9 Million Bank Balance
Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport, Cooperative Development, and Minister for Land Management Sunil Lamsal has a bank balance of 9 million rupees. His asset declaration includes 30 tolas of gold and 50 tolas of silver. His family owns land in Rupandehi, Nawalparasi, and Syangja, and he has a detailed record of assets across multiple properties.
Federal Affairs Minister Pratibha Rawal: Land in Kathmandu, Husband’s Income as Main Source
Federal Affairs and General Administration, Land Management, and Cooperative Minister Pratibha Rawal owns land in Kathmandu, with its source attributed to her husband’s income. She also owns properties in Budhanilkantha, Kathmandu, worth 7 million rupees, and in Bara, worth 5 million rupees. She has 25 tolas of gold, with the source being personal earnings and family gifts. She also has savings of over 2.4 million rupees in various banks and borrowed 2 million rupees from Everest Bank in 2025. Her asset declaration includes a 4.4 million rupee car.
Education Minister Sasmit Pokharel: Over 200 Million in Assets
Education Minister and government spokesperson Sasmit Pokharel has significant joint assets, including properties worth over 200 million rupees with her family. These assets are spread across Kathmandu, Morang, and Lalitpur. She also holds 25 tolas of gold and 100 tolas of silver. Her bank balance stands at nearly 450,000 rupees, and she also has investments in the stock market, including shares in PMS Holdings and national savings bonds.
Agriculture Minister Geeta Chaudhary: 5 Tolas of Gold, 100 Tolas of Silver, 1.26 Million Bank Balance
Agriculture, Livestock, and Forest and Environment Minister Geeta Chaudhary disclosed her assets, which include a watch worth 50,000 rupees, a mobile phone worth 90,000 rupees, and a laptop worth 75,000 rupees. She also owns 5 tolas of gold and 100 tolas of silver, which were inherited and earned through personal work. Chaudhary has a bank balance of 1.26 million rupees, as well as a scooter, which was purchased with a loan. Her asset declaration also includes livestock two goats and ten chickens, which were given to her by her family.
