Bill on Disaster Risk Reduction and Management endorsed

KATHMANDU, Sept 25: The meeting of today of Legislature-Parliament has unanimously endorsed the Bill on Disaster Reduction and Management-2074 BS.

Minister for Home Affairs, Janardan Sharma, had presented the proposal seeking the approval of the Bill at the parliament.

Prior to it, on a clause-wise discussion on the Bill had taken place where CPN-UML’s parliamentarian Dr Gangadhar Tuladhar suggested the need for formation of Disaster Risk Management Authority instead of forming Disaster Risk Management Centre.

Arguing that by changing the set up of the organization, it would make the implementation of Bill further effective, he opined that the Authority should employee experts not the civil servants.

CPN(Maoist Center)’s Hitraj Pandey and Sita Nepali univocally pressed for forming the Centre in line with the federal set up of the country.

Nepal Workers and Peasants’ Party’s Prem Suwal sought extra clarification regarding the definition of the disaster in the Bill.

Responding to the queries raised by the parliamentarians, Minister Sharma explained that the Bill was introduced in view of the reducing the disaster risks in the country prone-to natural disasters.

Sharma said that there was a clear definition of disaster in the Bill for effective management of natural and non-natural disasters and it was in line with the federal set up.

Following the endorsement of the bill, the House was adjourned for 15 minutes.