Loksewa Weekly Current Affairs: July 11–15, 2026 — Key Updates & Practice Questions

This week's biggest story: two former ministers jailed in a major corruption case. Plus fiscal year-end spending numbers, inflation data, and a market slide worth knowing for your GK and economics sections.

This Week's Headline Story

Two former ministers jailed over Bhutanese refugee scam. A Kathmandu district court sentenced former Deputy Prime Minister and Energy Minister Top Bahadur Rayamajhi to four years in prison, and former Home Minister Bal Krishna Khand to two years, for forging documents that enabled Nepali nationals to be fraudulently resettled in the United States as Bhutanese refugees. Fourteen others were also convicted in the same case. Rayamajhi is in custody; Khand is out on bail and both have denied wrongdoing, with an appeal expected. This case is widely seen as an early test of the current government's pledge to crack down on alleged corruption from previous administrations. Exam relevance: know the names, former positions, and the general nature of the scam — this kind of high-profile corruption case is a strong candidate for both GK and interview-stage questions.

Politics & Governance

Fiscal year-end spending rush. On the final legal day of FY 2025/26, the government rushed out Rs. 33.16 billion in a single day to clear pending bills before the payment system froze for year-end closing — including Rs. 12.42 billion for recurrent costs and Rs. 18.39 billion for capital expenditure. Despite the rush, the government closed the year having used only 44.51 percent (Rs. 181.56 billion) of its total capital budget, though it hit 79.69 percent (Rs. 1.56 trillion) of overall spending targets. The Ministry of Health topped organizational efficiency with a 79.38 percent physical utilization rate. Exam relevance: low capital budget utilization is a recurring, exam-friendly criticism of Nepal's fiscal management — worth remembering the specific percentage.

Property Inquiry Commission underway. A government-formed Property Investigation Commission, led by a former judge, is conducting a two-phase inquiry into the assets of public officials and employees serving since 1991 — first covering FY 2005/06 to 2025/26, then 1991 to 2005. The commission will coordinate with international bodies like Interpol for asset tracing and must submit findings within a mandated timeframe.

Madhesh Province spent 56% of its FY 2025/26 budget. According to the Province Treasury Controller Office, Madhesh spent Rs. 26.456 billion out of an allocated Rs. 46.983 billion — a common comparative figure across provinces worth knowing if your exam covers provincial governance.

Economy

Inflation and NEPSE update. Nepal's average inflation stood at 2.89 percent over the first 11 months of FY 2025/26, while year-on-year consumer inflation rose to 5.22 percent by mid-June, per Nepal Rastra Bank. Separately, NEPSE (the stock exchange) has lost over 380 points and nearly Rs. 600 billion in market value since Prime Minister Balendra Shah took office — a striking figure that reflects investor uncertainty during the current period of governance reform.

Passport service disruption. The Department of Passports received only 1,440 applications on a recent Monday after technical problems affected its central server and service centers nationwide — a reminder that public service delivery issues remain a live governance topic.

Gold and silver price movement. Gold traded at approximately Rs. 288,000 per tola this week (up Rs. 600 from the previous week), while silver was priced around Rs. 4,475 per tola. Domestic commodity price tracking is a recurring GK-section topic.

Education

Study-leave accountability gap at Tribhuvan University. More than 250 teachers and staff are believed to have failed to return after taking fully paid study leave abroad, leaving Nepal's largest university with estimated losses exceeding Rs. 1.5 billion — a significant governance and accountability story relevant to public sector management topics.

Quick-Fire Practice Questions

Who were the two former ministers jailed this week, and what were their sentences?
What was Nepal's year-on-year consumer inflation rate as of mid-June 2026?
How much did the government spend in a single day to clear pending bills before FY 2025/26 closed?
What percentage of the total capital budget did the government actually utilize in FY 2025/26?
How much market value has NEPSE lost since PM Balendra Shah took office?
What is the Property Investigation Commission's two-phase inquiry period?
Which province spent 56.31 percent of its provincial budget this fiscal year?
Approximately how much financial loss has Tribhuvan University incurred due to unreturned study-leave staff?

(Answers are embedded in the sections above — try answering from memory first, then check.)

How to Retain This Week After Week

Connect this week to last week's digest — check out last week's current affairs update and our recent economic breakdown for the fuller picture behind this week's inflation and fiscal year-end figures.
Use active recall, not re-reading — Loksewa AI's Smart Flashcards turn weekly digests like this into spaced-repetition cards so figures and names actually stick.
Ask for context on anything unclear — the Loksewa Guru AI chatbot can explain background (e.g., why capital budget underutilization keeps recurring) in plain language.

Final Thought

This week's standout story is the refugee-scam conviction — a genuinely significant anti-corruption development likely to come up in interviews given the current government's stated priorities. Pair that with the fiscal year-end spending and inflation figures, and you have a strong, well-rounded set of current affairs for this week. Check back next week for the next digest.