Balendra Shah's First 100 Days as Nepal Prime Minister: Mixed Progress on Reforms

Prime Minister Balendra "Balen" Shah marked his first 100 days in office with a mixed record. The government announced that 87 % of its 100‑point reform agenda was completed, but an independent analysis counted only 38 commitments fully implemented, leaving two‑thirds of the plan still pending.

Notable achievements include faster processing of passports and driving licences, expansion of digital public services, the initiation of a high‑level commission probing unexplained wealth, and refunds to small cooperative depositors totalling about Rs 44 million. The administration also began compensation for families affected by last year’s protests and consolidated election manifestos into a shared national agenda.

However, several flagship reforms remain stalled: civil‑service promotion reforms, large‑scale irrigation and agricultural market changes, and comprehensive economic relief measures for businesses. The handling of informal‑settlement evictions attracted Supreme Court intervention, and broader economic growth targets have yet to materialise.

In a meeting with Asian Development Bank President Masato Kanda, Shah reiterated priorities of good governance, rapid economic growth, job creation, infrastructure development, clean‑energy projects such as the Dudhkoshi Reservoir Hydropower, and further digital transformation. The ADB pledged continued financial support for these sectors.

Shah, a former rapper who rose to power after youth‑led protests, has pursued rapid bureaucratic changes, arrested his predecessor KP Sharma Oli, and maintained a low public profile while strengthening ties with neighboring China and India.