Government submits three ordinances to President Paudel for approval

The Nepal government has submitted three ordinances to the President’s Office following a cabinet recommendation to amend laws regarding land, forests, and disaster management.

The ordinances reached the President’s Office at approximately 5 p.m. on Thursday, according to spokesperson Krishna Bahadur Shahi. While the documents have been received, Shahi told OnlineKhabar that they had yet to be formally presented to President Ram Chandra Paudel as of Thursday evening.

The cabinet, which met on Wednesday afternoon, recommended the issuance of the three legal instruments. Government spokesperson Sasmita Pokharel stated that the proposed changes target specific Nepal laws related to land, forests, and disaster relief. The provisions within these ordinances will take effect only after the president officially issues them.

One significant proposal in the disaster-related ordinance responds to the Bhotekoshi floods by shortening the timeline for declaring missing persons dead. OnlineKhabar reports that the current law requires a 12-year wait, but the new provision would allow authorities to declare a person dead after 45 days in disaster-specific cases.

A second ordinance focused on land-related laws includes measures to provide land to landless Dalits, squatters, and unorganized settlers. The third ordinance seeks to amend laws concerning forests, though specific details on those amendments were not elaborated upon beyond the general subject matter.

Background

The cabinet made the formal recommendation to President Ram Chandra Paudel during a meeting held on Wednesday afternoon prior to the documents being delivered to the President's Office the following day.