Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak has stated that facilities and services will only be provided to former distinguished officials after enacting a law.
Responding to questions raised by lawmakers in the House of Representatives, Lekhak explained that a law regarding the provision of services and facilities to former dignitaries is being formulated, and these will be provided accordingly.
"Previously, there were instances where the government made decisions on its own to provide these benefits. Now, the government is working to systematize this by creating a law, and the benefits will be provided as per that law," he said.
He added that since the parliament itself will draft the law and discuss who should receive what facilities, lawmakers need not criticize the matter excessively. "Earlier, questions were raised about the basis on which benefits were provided without a law. Now, seeking to regulate it through legislation is a positive step. Who gets how much facility, whether to provide it or not, and if so, how, how much, and what to provide—the final decision-maker on these matters is this parliament," he said.
He emphasized that since the parliament will decide everything, it should instead be strengthened.
The Home Minister outlined the following points regarding this issue:
Perks and benefits have been provided to former officials based on decisions of the Cabinet dated October 7, 2004 and subsequent decisions.
The Honorable Supreme Court ordered on November 7, 2011 and January 6, 2014.
The Nepal Government issued the "Ordinance on Providing Benefits and Security to Former Officials, 2069" on April 18, 2012. As a replacement bill could not be tabled, the "Standards on Benefits to be Provided to Former Officials and VIPs, 2069" was issued on May 24, 2012.
The 58th and 59th reports of the Auditor General suggested the need for legal provisions in this regard.
The "Bill on Security and Benefits for VIPs and Former Officials, 2071" was registered in the then legislature-parliament on April 8, 2015 but was withdrawn on June 22, 2015. The Good Governance and Monitoring Committee studied the bill and, on July 12, 2016, directed that suggestions from its report be included in the bill to be formulated.
Following the Cabinet’s directive on November 9, 2015, the Home Ministry prepared the "Bill on Providing Benefits to Former Officials, 2073" and submitted it to the Cabinet. The bill was approved for presentation to the federal parliament on January 3, 2017 and sent to the legislature-parliament Secretariat on February 23, 2017. When that bill did not materialize, the "Bill on Providing Benefits to Former Officials, 2075" was drafted on June 26, 2018 and submitted to the Cabinet for approval to present to the federal parliament. On July 4, 2018, the Cabinet decided to send it to a committee, but it did not take concrete shape.
On December 24, 2024, the Cabinet approved a concept paper for the "Bill on Providing Benefits to Former VIPs," and preliminary work on drafting the bill has begun.
