Three ordinances on land, forests and disaster management recommended by Nepal's Cabinet reached the President's Office on October 8, 2026 but had not yet been formally presented to President Ram Chandra Paudel.
The Cabinet recommended the ordinances on October 7. They arrive at the office at about 5 p.m. the following day, the office's spokesperson, Krishna Bahadur Shahi, said. "Three ordinances have arrived. They arrived at around 5 pm today. They are yet to be presented to the president." Shahi said. Arrival does not mean the ordinances have been issued or have been law and there has been no presidential decision yet.
The most significant proposal concerns people who go missing in disasters. The disaster-related ordinance would reduce the period before a missing person can be declared dead from 12 years to 45 days in disaster cases, according to government statement.
The change responds to problems faced by families after the August 26,2026 floods. Authorities ended search ad rescue operations after the disaster and shifted toward rehabilitation. Families of missing people often need legal recognition of death to pursue compensation, insurance, banking and inheritance matters. Law Minister Sobita Gautam reportedly told a parliamentary committee on October 6 that the missing-person ordinance was in its final stages.
The land related ordinance concerns land distribution to landless Dalits, squatters and unorganized settlers. Eligibility rules, application procedures and deadlines have not been made clear. The forest related ordinance proposes amendments to forest laws, but its detailed provisions have not been established.
Government spokesperson Sasmit Pokharel announced the Cabinet's decision at a briefing after the October 7 meeting.
Under Article 114 of the Constitution, the President may issue an ordinance on the recommendation of the Council of Ministers when immediate action is necessary and the Federal Parliament is not in session. An issued ordinance has the same force as an Act, subject to constitutional requirements, and must be presented to Parliament when it meets.
The use of ordinances rather than ordinary legislation raises questions about parliamentary scrutiny. A shorter legal period for declaring people dead also raises questions about the evidence required and the safeguards against mistaken declarations.
