Cabinet Recommends Ordinances on Land, Forests and Disaster Management; Moves to Shorten Period for Declaring Missing Persons Dead

Kathmandu / October 7 — The government has decided to introduce ordinances to amend laws related to land, forests and disaster management, with particular emphasis on facilitating relief and rehabilitation following recent natural disasters.

A Cabinet meeting held on Wednesday decided to recommend that President Ram Chandra Paudel issue three ordinances: the Ordinance to Amend Certain Nepal Acts Relating to Land, the Ordinance to Amend Certain Nepal Acts Relating to Forests, and the Ordinance to Amend Certain Nepal Acts Relating to Disasters.

The disaster-related ordinance has been proposed in view of the need to facilitate relief, rehabilitation and management in areas affected by major natural disasters, including the Bhotekoshi floods.

The government is also seeking to amend existing legal provisions concerning people who go missing in disasters and other incidents. Under the current general provision, a person missing for 12 years may be presumed dead. The government plans to significantly shorten this period to ease the legal and financial difficulties faced by families of missing persons.

Government spokesperson and Education and Sports Minister Sasmit Pokharel said the amendment was aimed at helping families deal with legal and financial matters following disasters, including access to relief, insurance and other administrative procedures.

The move comes amid ongoing efforts to address the legal status of thousands of people who remain missing following the August 26 floods. The government has recently shifted from search and rescue operations toward rehabilitation and reconstruction.

The Cabinet also approved the promotion of Nabin Raj Singh, Joint Secretary of the Nepal Engineering Service, to the position of Secretary in the Gazetted Special Class.

Similarly, Chakra Bahadur Budha, Joint Secretary of the Nepal Administration Service, was promoted to Secretary in the Gazetted Special Class.

The Cabinet further promoted Chandra Kanta Bhandari, Deputy Auditor General of the Nepal Audit Service, to the position of Deputy Auditor General in the Gazetted Special Class.
The Cabinet also approved compensation for 153 victims recommended by the National Human Rights Commission.