The then prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala had laid the foundation for the highway in 1992, but the passage was opened only in 2007.

This highway links the towns of Jumla with the Karnali capital Birendranagar and rest parts of Surkhet district.

According to “A Value Chain Analysis of Apple from Jumla”, and the intervention strategy indicates that more than 85 percent of the Karnali highway is still unsafe as of July 2011[update].

[5] Many rural inhabitants along the highway have poor access to markets, healthcare facilities and schools and deal with high transport costs.

There is a pressing need to provide a functional road system in the area, made more urgent by current concerns over food prices and shortages, high energy costs and social and health needs[5] Between 60 and 75 percent of children under five are chronically malnourished, and up to 64 percent of the population live in poverty.