National
Fed units to get law blueprints in 15 days, says AG
The government is working on a set of model laws to be provided to the provincial and local governments, Attorney General Agni Kharel said on Thursday.The government is working on a set of model laws to be provided to the provincial and local governments, Attorney General Agni Kharel said on Thursday.
The seven provincial governments are facing hassles in the absence of laws. Since they depend on constitutional provisions to conduct their business, the federal units are in a dire need of laws to govern their works.
A taskforce is working on the draft laws. The committee led by Kharel includes members from the Nepal Law Commission, a secretary from the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of ministers, a joint attorney general and three law secretaries.
“The provinces will get the model laws within 15 days,” Kharel told a news conference in Singha Durbar on Friday. “We’re about to complete our work.” The federal parliament will have to formulate 110 laws for the federal government, six related to the local level and 22 related to the provinces. Since the provincial and local governments also enact their own laws, they are waiting for the drafts of legislation to undertake the task for the first time. Provinces need to pass laws to govern their activities derived from the 25 rights granted to them by Schedule 7 of the constitution.
Provincial and local governments are unable to provide services effectively in the absence of laws and adequate physical infrastructure and human resource. Last week, chief ministers from the seven provinces requested Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to forward the laws as soon as possible.
The Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development is also preparing to provide blueprints of law to the local level. The ministry has almost completed drafting of 30 laws, which will be forwarded to local governments soon, according to officials. Schedule 8 of the constitution grants 22 powers to the local bodies. These are realised through new pieces of legislation. Unlike in the past, the new constitution gives the local level legislative power.
The federal parliament and provincial assemblies are working on the laws. The centre has yet to deploy officials in the required numbers to the federal units. A Cabinet meeting on Wednesday decided to deploy around 57,000 staffers to 830 local units.
Legal void
Federal parliament will have to formulate 110 laws for the federal government, six related to the local level and 22 related to the provinces
Provinces need to pass laws to govern their activities derived from the 25 rights enshrined by the constitution