Rs 20 billion allocated for construction of international, domestic airports

Budget amounting to over Rs 20 billion for the next fiscal year, 2021/22 has been allocated for the construction of three international airports and other domestic ones.

Out of the total allocated budget amounts, around Rs 19 billion goes for the beautification of Tribhuvan International Airport and for the construction of Gautam Buddha International Airport in Bhairahawa and Pokhara Regional International Airport in Pokhara, said Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Poudel reading out the budget speech.

Likewise, Rs 1.22 billion will be spent on the infrastructure construction of domestic airports in Surkhet, Biratnagar, Okhandhunga, and Taplejung. Test flights at airports in Ilam, Gulmi, and Dolpa will be conducted.

Meanwhile, Rs 27.47 billion has been allocated for the Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation. The budget size for the Ministry is against Rs 26.12 billion released in the current FY, 2020/21.

In a bid to attract tourists, hiking trails and routes around the Kathmandu Valley would be constructed, said the Minister. To promote tourism, government employees will be granted a paid leave for 10 days for a visit. The private sector will also be encouraged to provide such facilities to their employees.