Inside WeNepal
The WeNepal governance tracker: following public promises, one source at a time
The WeNepal governance tracker follows promises made in public by Nepal's governments: what it tracks, what each status means and who verifies it.
Governments make promises in speeches, budgets, policy programmes and cabinet decisions. Months later it is often hard to tell which ones were kept. The WeNepal governance tracker, also called the Promise Tracker, keeps a public record: what was promised, by whom, and what has actually happened since.
What the tracker follows
The tracker records promises made in public by the federal government, ministries, provinces and local bodies. A promise is tracked when it is:
- Specific and checkable: a concrete commitment made on the record, in a speech, a policy programme, the budget, a cabinet decision, a manifesto adopted by the government, or an official statement.
- Clear about who and what: it names who is responsible and what will change. Where a deadline was given, we record it; where none was given, we say so.
Vague aims such as "improve governance" are not tracked. Promises made in a government's first 100 days carry a 100-days flag, so you can follow that early period on its own.
What each status means
Every promise has one status. The full definitions are on the methodology page; in short:
| Status | What it means |
|---|---|
| Being verified | Our team has not yet checked this promise against official records. This is not progress and is never counted as started, in progress or delivered |
| Not started | No public evidence of work yet: no budget line, tender, order, bill or official step |
| In progress | At least one concrete official step is on the record, such as money allocated, a tender issued, a bill tabled, a directive signed or a pilot running |
| Delivered | The promised result exists and can be checked, in the form it was promised. Partial delivery stays In progress, with a note |
| Stalled | Work began but nothing has moved for 90 days, or an official source says it is on hold |
| Broken | The deadline passed without delivery, the promise was formally withdrawn, or official action contradicts it |
Why many promises show "Being verified"
When a promise is first added, it shows "Being verified" until staff confirm it against official records. We would rather show an honest "not yet checked" than guess. You may see many promises in this state while the team works through them; that says nothing about whether the government has acted.
How a status is verified
Software helps, but a person decides. The process is:
- Evidence is gathered. Each morning our newsroom system matches new stories to tracked promises and attaches them as possible evidence. It may draft a note, but it never changes a status.
- An editor decides. An editor reads the evidence and the original sources. A status changes only with at least one primary source, such as a gazette notice, a budget document, a court order or an official release, or with two independent reports.
- Broken needs a second editor. Marking a promise Broken requires a second, senior editor to approve it.
- History is kept. Every change is dated, carries a note and keeps its source on record. Earlier statuses stay visible in the promise's history. We never overwrite the past.
Fair to every government
Governments of every party are tracked in the same way, with the same definitions and the same evidence rules. The tracker reports facts about whoever is in government. It does not score parties, predict outcomes or give opinions.
The numbers on the tracker are real totals from our database. If the data is not available, we show nothing rather than an estimate.
Evidence you can check
Each promise has its own page with its status, its history, the WeNepal stories used as evidence and the official sources behind it. We do not name other news outlets; every source stays on record for review and corrections.
You can follow the tracker on the website at wenepal.com/tracker and in the Tracker tab of the WeNepal app, where you can also turn on alerts for tracker updates.
Disagree with a status?
Tell us why and send the source. The desk editor reviews every request and records the outcome on the promise. Use the contact page and choose correction or right of reply, or write to corrections@wenepal.com. How we handle requests is set out in our corrections policy, and our wider rules are in the editorial policy.
Frequently asked questions
What does the WeNepal governance tracker do?
It keeps a public record of specific promises made by Nepal's federal government, ministries, provinces and local bodies, and shows where each one stands, with the evidence and sources behind every status.
Who decides a promise's status?
A WeNepal editor, never software. A status changes only with a primary source or two independent reports, and a Broken status needs a second, senior editor to approve it.
What does "Being verified" mean?
It means our team has not yet checked that promise against official records. It is not a judgement on progress and is never counted as started, in progress or delivered.
Is the tracker biased against one party?
No. Every government is tracked with the same definitions and evidence rules, and the tracker reports facts about whoever is in government. WeNepal is not affiliated with any party.
How do I challenge a status?
Send us your reason and the source through the contact page or corrections@wenepal.com. The desk editor reviews every request and records the outcome on the promise.