According to the ministry, the council as envisioned in the revised bill would be an umbrella authority for coordinating all disaster risk management activities, rescue operations as well as relief and rehabilitation related tasks."The revised bill has proposed permanent umbrella body to oversee the disaster related tasks. It shall have the authority to mobilize rescue operation, relief distribution, reconstruction tasks, among other, related activities," said Yadav Koirala, spokesperson at the ministry.
Earlier, the ministry had to withdraw the bill immediately after registering it at the parliament secretariat following the April 25 earthquake in the country.
The bill was withdrawn after it faced criticisms for lacking adequate provisions for addressing the post-earthquake disaster management.
In absence of disaster management Act, the government is operating rescue, relief and other disaster related activities as per the three-decade-old Disaster Rescue Act introduced in 1982.
Government had prepared the bill last year after pressure from various government and other aid agencies to introduce the bill.
"We have readied the revised bill and it will be registered at the parliament immediately after the House session begins," Home minister Shakti Basnet informed lawmakers at a meeting of parliament's state affairs committee this week.
The revised bill, too, has given continuity to a provision of placing national disaster management center at the Home Ministry. Similarly the draft has proposed setting up a disaster management fund, fixing certain criteria for distribution of relief and conditions for calling and ending international aids.
Likewise, the revised bill proposes executive committee, disaster risk reduction committee, including other committees, in the proposed bill.
The revised bill has also proposed arranging livelihood or self-employment for those who suffer disability due to disaster. Home Ministry spokesperson Yadav said, the revised bill has also entrusted the council the authority of resource mobilization.
At present, Ministry of Law and Justice is giving final touches to the bill. Spokesperson at the Ministry of Law, Dilliraj Ghimire said the bill has been put under top priority, even though the ministry is busy finalizing new laws formulated for the implementation of the new constitution.
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Disaster Management Bill getting final touches
