Neelam Dhungana named NRB'S Acting Governor

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Apr. 8: The Ministry of Finance has assigned Senior Deputy Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank, Dr. Neelam Dhungana Timsina, as the Acting Governor.  

In accordance with Section 27 of the Nepal Rastra Bank Act, 2058 BS, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel has assigned Dhungana as the Acting Governor of the central bank of the county.

The term of Maha Prasad Adhikari, Governor of the Nepal Rastra Bank, ended on Sunday (April 6, 2025). 

Adhikari left on Friday after completing his five-year term. The post of Governor at the country's central bank has become vacant after Adhikari left.

According to the Nepal Rastra Bank Act 2058, a new governor must be appointed one month before the position of governor becomes vacant.

However, the government has not yet been able to appoint a new governor though it has started the process to appoint one.

A three-member Governor Appointment and Recommendation Committee has been formed under the coordination of Finance Minister Paudel. The committee includes former governor Bijaya Nath Bhattarai and economist Dr. Biswo Poudel.

The committee will recommend the names of three persons, including a deputy governor, to the Council of Ministers. 

Out of the three recommended individuals, the Council of Ministers will appoint one as governor. 

Two deputy governors of the NRB, Dr. Neelam Dhungana Timsina and Bam Bahadur Mishra, are in the race to become the governor. 

Both Timsina and Mishra were appointed as Deputy Governor of NRB on March 9, 2021.

Similarly, others including Executive Directors of NRB Dr. Gunakar Bhatta and Dr. Prakash Kumar Shrestha and banker Gyanendra Dhungana are in the race to become the governor.