Nepal's Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle recently declined to pose for a photograph during a disaster relief check handover at the ministry, stating that he reserves official photo opportunities for contributions of NPR 10 million (1 crore) or higher.
The incident occurred when representatives from Corporate Nepal, an economic digital news portal promoted by Bizcare Nepal Pvt. Ltd., visited the Ministry of Finance to contribute NPR 111,111 to the Prime Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund. The funds were designated to support relief, medical treatment, and rehabilitation efforts for citizens impacted by devastating floods originating from the Tibetan Bhote Koshi river in Rasuwa.
Upon receiving the contribution check, Minister Wagle reportedly asked the delegation if the donation exceeded one crore rupees. When the representatives stated that a digital media house could not provide such a massive sum, he questioned the necessity of taking photographs for amounts under that threshold, arguing that photographing smaller donations encourages an unmanageable crowd of delegation visits to his office.
Interested in this ad?
Would you like to continue to the link or provide your information for more details?
Please provide your information
To continue, please fill in your details
Despite the Minister's stance during the meeting, public observations on social media highlighted that he had previously posed for official photographs when accepting relief contributions ranging between NPR 2 million and 2.5 million from various private sector entities. Members of his secretarial team were present in the office during the brief exchange.
Corporate Nepal has operated as an economic media outlet for over twelve years, also publishing a business magazine and executing corporate social responsibility initiatives annually. The publication’s gesture aimed to support victims of the severe natural calamity, bringing public attention to official protocols regarding disaster relief receptions.
