- Thursday, 24 September 2026
Kathmandu, Sept 24: Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Sobita Gautam, has presented the Free Legal Aid Bill, 2083 in the meeting of the House of Representatives today.
On the occasion, she informed the House that this bill was introduced to implement the justice-related rights under Article 20 of the Constitution. Minister Gautam said that the bill has made arrangements to provide legal assistance from the beginning to people who are arrested in criminal cases and cannot afford to hire a lawyer themselves.
She also mentioned that the bill includes provisions to improve the quality of free legal aid. —
Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Sobita Gautam, has presented the Free Legal Aid Bill, 2083 in the meeting of the House of Representatives today.
On the occasion, she informed the House that this bill was introduced to implement the justice-related rights under Article 20 of the Constitution.
Minister Gautam said that the bill has made arrangements to provide legal assistance from the beginning to people who are arrested in criminal cases and cannot afford to hire a lawyer themselves. She also mentioned that the bill includes provisions to improve the quality of free legal aid. —
Minister for Women, Children, Gender and Sexual Minorities and Social Security, Sita Badi, said that a long-term care plan has been brought for children affected by the Bhotekoshi flood who need special protection.
In today’s House of Representatives (HoR) meeting, she mentioned that priority has been given to locating affected children, their rescue, protection, search for their guardians, and reunion with their family. “Child protection coordination mechanisms have been formed in the flood-affected 15 local levels, and work is being done on information collection, rescue, and protection. Child-friendly centres are being run at 40 locations for the needy children,” Minister Badi said.
She said that the government has taken special responsibility for the protection of children who need special care, have lost their parents, are disabled, or are from remote and socially and economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
Minister Badi informed that a temporary protection service has been set up in Godawari Municipality-12, Thecho, Lalitpur to provide rescued children with services like accommodation, food, health care, psychosocial support, family tracing, and reunification.
She said that a long-term care plan has been introduced to provide children who have lost or gone missing parents due to flooding with proper protection, care, nutrition, and medical treatment until they turn 18, as well as education for at least 12 years and social security.
Minister Badi informed the HoR that the work of providing a detailed report on the situation of flood-affected children through the National Child Rights Council has been accelerated on the ground.
She urged the lawmakers to inform the National Child Rights Council if any child in the affected area faces any problem. “The government’s efforts alone are not enough to protect children affected during disasters, and coordination and cooperation from everyone are necessary,” she reiterated.
Minister Badi made it clear that children cannot be transferred or moved to other places illegally even in the name of protection and education, saying that moving or transferring children would be illegal without the consent of the National Child Rights Council and the recommendation of local child welfare officers.
She informed that the government is also coordinating with relevant shelters, local authorities, and service-providing organizations to protect senior citizens and people with disabilities, adding that arrangements have been made for the rescue, safe shelter, medical treatment, supportive materials, and rehabilitation of elderly citizens affected by disasters.
Minister Badi informed that senior citizens displaced from the Senior Citizen Protection and Study Foundation in Devighat, Nuwakot, were moved to a safe alternative location and provided with health check-ups, necessary supplies, and psychosocial counseling. She mentioned that air rescue arrangements have been made for pregnant and postpartum women at risk in areas where road and transportation connections are blocked.
According to Minister Badi, so far, 11 women in complicated labor and newborns have been airlifted and brought to Paropakar Maternity and Women’s Hospital for treatment. Minister Badi informed that 10 women- and girl-friendly safe spaces have been set up in Nuwakot and Dhading for women and girls affected by the flood.
She also mentioned that in Budhanilkantha, arrangements will be made for protection, safety, and temporary shelter for women affected and at risk due to the disaster. —
MP Dhananjaya Regmi of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has called attention of the government for necessary preparedness and devising a response plan to protect life and property of citizens from the impact of the new monsoon phenomenon that has recently developed.
In the ‘urgent time’ of today’s House of Representatives meeting, he said that just asking citizens not to go outside except for essentials cannot protect their lives and property, considering the likely impact of the new rainy season system.
“Along with the message to the people to stay at home, it is also necessary to take the message to the people to see if the land around them is safe,” he said, adding that the people living in the hilly areas should pay attention to whether there are new cracks, sunken or bloated in the land and if water has oozed out in a new place and if there are any early signs of landslide.
The people should be asked to evacuate to a safer place on time rather than staying at home, he said. Regmi drew the government’s attention to spreading information in simple language about flood warnings and early signs of landslides through the media and social networks in the coming days.
RSP’s Gyanendra Singh Mahata called for an immediate review of existing laws and necessary procedural arrangements related to emergency health rescue to ensure that every citizen has the right to receive treatment in times of emergency.
Tika Sangraula of the same party demanded that the ‘audio’ material related to the incident be immediately investigated and the guilty punished, claiming that a customs officer from Kanchanpur intimidated the Armed Police Superintendent of Kailali by misusing his official position, harming the dignity of national security and civil service. —
Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Sobita Gautam, has shared that laws are being formulated in order to prevent dual benefits for office-bearers working in constitutional bodies.
During the discussion on the principles of the Remuneration, Conditions of Service and Facilities of the Office-Bearers of Constitutional Bodies (First Amendment) Bill, 2083 in the meeting of State Affairs and Good Governance Committee held at Singha Durbar today, Minister Gautam underlined that the laws are being formulated through bill to prevent double benefits for the office-bearers appointed at constitutional bodies as there is a constitutional provision of appointing retired special-class employees in constitutional bodies.
“We are going to formulate the laws with the aim of ensuring that no one receives double benefits,” she stressed, adding the Supreme Court has already ordered to prepare necessary laws related to prevent dual benefits and remuneration to office-bearers of the constitutional bodies.
The Law Minister clarified that the resources available with the state should be utilized properly and this law is needed to end the trend of receiving double benefits or facilities by the office-bearers. Minister Gautam opined that arrangements are being made systematically to ensure that no employee would receive both pension and remuneration. —
The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Parliamentary Party has determined group-wise minimum attendance schedule to ensure regular and effective presence of its lawmakers in meetings of House of Representatives (HoR).
As per the notice issued by Chief Whip Kabindra Burlakoti, MPs from different groups must be compulsorily present in the parliament till October 2 from today based on their groups. However, also the lawmakers who have not been included in the groups must be present in HoR meetings.
Presence of all lawmakers is always mandatory except any urgency, according to Burlakoti. —
