Cabinet recommends ordinance letting disaster-missing persons be declared dead after 45 days

The government has decided to reduce the period for declaring a person who goes missing in a disaster dead from 12 years to 45 days. The Council of Ministers meeting held on Wednesday recommended this provision to the President through an ordinance amending certain Nepal acts related to disasters. The government made the decision keeping in mind the situation of citizens who went missing in the Bhotekoshi floods and other natural disasters.

According to government spokesperson Sasmita Pokharel, the meeting recommended to President Ramchandra Paudel that a total of three ordinances be issued, including ordinances amending certain Nepal acts related to land and forests.

The Council of Ministers also decided to provide compensation to 153 victims as recommended by the National Human Rights Commission. Similarly, Joint Secretary Nabin Raj Singh has been promoted to Secretary in the Nepal Engineering Service, and Chakra Bahadur Budha has been promoted to Secretary at the gazetted special class level. One person has also been promoted to the post of Deputy Auditor General at the special class level.

At the press conference held to announce the Cabinet's decisions, journalists raised questions about the search operation conducted at the residence of former Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher Jabbra. In response, spokesperson Pokharel said the search and property investigation were routine work of government agencies.