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The price of gold has increased by Rs 700 per tola in the domestic market on Thursday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the precious yellow metal is being traded at Rs 243, 000 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 242, 300 per tola on  Wednesday.

Similarly, the silver is being traded at Rs 3, 185 per tola today.

The government has introduced a more flexible fee structure for foreign visitors entering the restricted area of Upper Mustang. Under the revised rule, foreigners visiting Upper Mustang, an area bordering China’s Korala crossing, will now be charged $50 per day, instead of paying a mandatory $500 lump-sum fee for a 10-day permit. The new provision allows trekkers to pay only for the number of days they actually spend inside the restricted zone. 

According to Government spokesperson and Minister for Communication and Information Technology, Jagadish Kharel, the permit fee was revised by amending Schedule 12 of the Immigration Regulation, 1994. The previous rule required every foreign visitor to buy a minimum 10-day permit at $500, after which an additional $50 per day was charged if they stayed longer. Other requirements like traveling in groups of a minimum of two and through government authorized companies, however, still remain.

Local governments and communities in the region had long been demanding a complete removal of Upper Mustang from the restricted-area list. Upper Mustang falls within the Annapurna Conservation Area and remains listed as a restricted and controlled zone. High permit costs have long discouraged trekkers, resulting in only a small fraction of the roughly 150,000 foreign tourists who enter Mustang each year traveling beyond Kagbeni and Muktinath into the restricted northern area. Nepal first declared its northern villages as restricted areas in the 1970s following security concerns after Chinese takeover of Tibet and the Khampa uprising. 

However, officials say restricted areas were declared due to cultural sensitivity, environmental fragility, and security concerns. After multiparty democracy was established in 1990, the government gradually opened many of these areas to foreign trekkers through a special-permit system administered by the Department of Immigration. 

Restrictions in Mustang currently apply to Lomanthang Rural Municipality (wards 1–5), Lo-Ghekar Damodarkunda Rural Municipality (wards 1–5), and Baragung Muktichetra Rural Municipality (ward 3 and Satang village of ward 5). Similar rules also remain in place in Upper Dolpa, Manaslu and Tsum Valley of Gorkha, Upper Humla, parts of northern Taplejung, Lower Dolpa, Lamabagar and Tso Rolpa areas of Dolakha, the Kimathanka area of Sankhuwasabha, Nar and Phu of Manang, sections of Solukhumbu and northern Rasuwa, Upper Mugu, Bajhang, and Darchula. 

Debate continues over whether restrictions should be fully lifted. Advocates for removal argue that the rules, which date back to the Khampa insurgency era in Mustang and were reinforced following China’s annexation of Tibet, are no longer relevant. Others, however, caution that unrestricted tourist inflow could affect the region’s carrying capacity and disrupt its distinct cultural and geographical landscape.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) plunged by 4. 98 points to close at 2, 561 . 08 points on Wednesday.

Similarly, the sensitive index dropped by 1. 26 points to close at 442. 26 points.

A total of 8,388,373-unit shares of 338 companies were traded for Rs 3. 77 billion.

Meanwhile, Mabilung Energy Limited (MABEL) and Daramkhola Hydro Energy Limited (DHEL) were the top gainers today with their price surging by 10. 00 percent.

Likewise, Corporate Development Bank Limited (CORBL) was the top loser as its price fell by 6. 03 percent.

At the end of the day, the total market capitalization stood at Rs 1. 45 trillion.

The government has missed its revenue target for the first four months of the current fiscal year, collecting just 77.49 percent of the planned amount. The government has set a target to raise Rs 1,480bn in fiscal year 2025/26 which began in mid-July. However, revenue collection by the end of the first four months stood at Rs 329.51bn, significantly below the target for the period. The government had aimed to mobilize Rs 425.23bn by mid-November.

The shortfall is particularly stark for the fourth month (mid-October to mid-November). Total collection during the period stood at Rs 78.33bn against the targeted Rs 103.7bn. Total revenue collection over the first four months of the current fiscal year, however, was marginally up compared to the same period of the previous fiscal year. According to the finance ministry, total revenue collection in these four months was up 6.53 percent compared to the same period of the last fiscal year when the government mobilized Rs 329.02bn.

Breakdown of the revenue data shows that customs duty remained the largest contributor to the government revenue. But mid-November, the government collected Rs 74.59bn from customs duty. Of this, imports generated Rs 60bn, exports brought in Rs 660 million, while infrastructure tax amounted to Rs 5.66bn. Other customs-related income included Rs 240 million in miscellaneous revenue, Rs 2.45bn in agriculture reform fees, Rs 3.75bn in road maintenance charges, and Rs 1.76bn in road construction and upgrade fees.

Value Added Tax (VAT) remained the government’s largest single revenue source in the revenue period, generating Rs 101.71bn in the first four months. VAT from domestic production, sales and services contributed Rs 44.92bn, while VAT from imports reached Rs 62.19bn. Excise collection reached Rs 62bn during the period. The government also mobilized Rs 2bn from education service fees and Rs 61.15bn in income tax. Non-tax revenue stood at Rs 1.27bn.

Despite the slight year-on-year growth, the inability to meet periodic targets has raised concerns about the government’s ability to achieve its ambitious annual revenue goal. Officials say sluggish imports, subdued economic activity and lower consumption continue to weigh on revenue performance.

The government missed its revenue target by nearly 17 percent in the previous fiscal year as well. Of the Rs 1,419bn it had aimed to collect, only Rs 1,178bn was raised, underscoring a continuing trend of underperformance in revenue mobilization.

The government has failed to meet targets on spending fronts as well. According to the Financial Comptroller General’s Office, government spending over the first four months of 2025/26 remained sluggish, with capital expenditure performing especially poorly. Of the total Rs 407.88bn allocated for capital spending this fiscal year, only Rs 25.62bn—just 6.28 percent of the target—had been utilized during the review period. 

Overall treasury expenditure reached Rs 470.10bn, or 23.93 percent of the annual allocation. Recurrent spending stood at Rs 321.89bn, equivalent to 27.26 percent of the target, while financing expenditure, which is used to service public debt, amounted to Rs 122.58bn, or 32.67 percent of the target. The government met 81.87 percent of its spending targets in the previous fiscal year.