Upcoming elections likely to cost between Rs. 20 - 25 billion

KATHMANDU, Oct 28: Upcoming elections are likely to cost between Rs. 20 to 25 billion, former Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, Shanta Raj Subedi said. The amount is thrice as much as what the government spent in local level polls.

During local polls divided into three phases, the government spent more than Rs. 6.5 billion. The Election Commission said that most of the amount goes into security management.

The Ministry has set aside Rs 30 billion for the all three levels of elections, said joint secretary Kebal Prasad Bhandari. "The Ministry will release the payment for the expenditure periodically," he said.