Minister for Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs Sobita Gautam has said that the government is preparing to amend legal provisions concerning the declaration and registration of death of people who go missing in disasters.
Speaking at a meeting of the Parliamentary Special Committee on the Impact of Climate Change in the Himalayas, Climate Justice, and the Bhotekoshi-Trishuli Disaster held at Singha Durbar on Tuesday, Gautam said that the government was preparing to amend the laws governing death declarations and registrations through an ordinance.
She said that, as the regular session of Parliament has ended, preparations are underway to expedite the necessary legal provisions through an ordinance.
According to Gautam, the ministry has already prepared a draft framework for the necessary amendments to the laws concerning the declaration and registration of death.
She emphasized the need for the government to place disasters at the center of future lawmaking.
“Currently, there is a need to register deaths in cases where a death has to be declared. We have also been holding continuous discussions with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) on the procedure for declaring a person dead. A solution has now been reached on that issue. The law itself now needs to be amended,” she said.
She further said, “There was a concern that following the regular legislative process while Parliament was in session might take some time. Parliament’s session has now ended, so the government is preparing to introduce provisions through an ordinance – whether in the Civil Code, the Registration Act, or disaster-related laws – and finalize the legal framework for the declaration and registration of death. Preparations for this have already been completed.”
Gautam said that since disaster management is a multidimensional issue involving various ministries, work was underway to formulate necessary laws in coordination with the relevant ministries on issues including weather forecasting, relief packages, facilitating industries and businesses, and protecting children who have lost their parents in disasters.
(News Agency Nepal)
