Kathmandu, October 9
President Ram Chandra Paudel has issued an ordinance amending several Nepal laws related to disaster management, while two other ordinances recommended by the government remain under review.
The government had recommended three ordinances to the president for issuance, but the President’s Office has issued only one so far.
According to Krishna Bahadur Shahi, spokesperson for the President’s Office, the president has issued the Ordinance to Amend Certain Nepal Acts Relating to Disasters, 2026.
The other two ordinances, concerning land and forests, are still being studied, according to sources at the President’s Office.
The disaster-related ordinance is being introduced in the context of the Bhote Koshi floods. One of its key provisions concerns the declaration of missing persons as deceased.
Under the existing legal provision, a person who has been missing for 12 years can be declared dead. The ordinance proposes shortening this period to 45 days in disaster-related cases.
The proposed amendment to land-related laws includes provisions for distributing land to landless Dalits, squatters and people living on land without formal authorisation.
The provisions of an ordinance come into effect once it is issued by the president.
