A total of 32 former VVIPs including Pez, VP, PM, Chief Justices, HoR Speakers, National Assembly chairs receive allowances, state-funded housing and security.
KATHMANDU, March 15: The government's move to institutionalize lifelong state benefits for former VVIPs including the president, vice president, prime minister, chief justices, parliament speakers, among others has sparked widespread public outrage.
Ordinary public argue that the decision places an undue financial burden on taxpayers, while politicians across party lines have also voiced opposition, calling for the revocation of all benefits except security provisions. There is an overwhelming public demand that all benefits given to former high-ranking officials, except security, should be revoked instead of institutionalizing these benefits for their whole life.
Although there is no law to provide such privilege to former VVIPs, these VVIPs have been receiving these facilities from the state coffers. The controversy arises as the government has drafted a legislation to formalize these privileges for former high-ranking officials for their whole life. The proposed benefits include a lifelong monthly allowance, housing support, vehicles and secretarial staff, among other benefits.
Nepali Congress (NC) leader Dr. Shekhar Koirala criticized the government’s plan to institutionalize the state privileges to the former VVIPs "Amid a sensitive time of growing public anger over the government's slide into a vicious cycle of misgovernance, strong opposition to its actions within the ruling party, and wrongdoers stirring unrest on the streets, another attempt at misconduct emerges: lifetime benefits for former officials. Such actions do not serve the interests of the system or the party. The government should not pursue these actions; instead, it should reduce the existing benefits," he wrote on social media.
Similarly, NC Central Working Committee (CWC) member Ajay Babu Shivakoti mocked the move, remarking, "Perhaps the government should also consider posthumous benefits, covering funeral and ancestral rituals for former officials." He questioned, "Are former officials insatiably greedy, or is the government merely their servant? If there is any sense of accountability left, this process should be abandoned immediately."
Discussions on bill for privileges to Ex-VVIPs
Who are currently receiving these benefits?
There is no such law that provides former VVIPs to receive state benefits. However, through successive cabinet decisions, 32 former high-ranking officials, including the former king, continue to receive state-funded security, housing, and allowances.
According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, the beneficiaries include former King Gyanendra Shah, four former presidents, two former vice presidents, 15 former chief justices, seven former prime ministers, four former speakers of the House of Representatives, and one former National Assembly chairperson.
Among them, former presidents Dr. Ram Baran Yadav and Bidya Devi Bhandari, former vice presidents Nanda Kishor Pun and Paramananda Jha and former prime ministers Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Sher Bahadur Deuba, Madhav Kumar Nepal, Jhala Nath Khanal, Dr. Baburam Bhattarai, Khil Raj Regmi and Lokendra Bahadur Chand receive state-funded security, housing, and monthly allowances.
Former speakers Taranaath Ranabhat, Onsari Gharti, Agni Sapkota and Krishna Bahadur Mahara, as well as former National Assembly chairperson Ganesh Timilsina, also benefit from state privileges. Their benefits are managed through the Federal Parliament Secretariat, while the Ministry of Home Affairs oversees provisions for former presidents, vice presidents, and prime ministers.
Similarly, 15 former chief justices, including Min Bahadur Rayamajhi, Anup Raj Sharma, Ram Prasad Shrestha, Damodar Prasad Sharma, Ram Kumar Prasad Shah, Kalyan Shrestha, Sushila Karki, Gopal Parajuli, Om Prakash Mishra, Cholendra SJB Rana, Hari Krishna Karki, Bishwambhar Prasad Shrestha, and Hari Prasad Sharma, have been receiving monthly benefits from the state.
What Benefits Do They Receive?
According to Home Ministry sources, former presidents receive a government vehicle, 205 liters of fuel per month and a monthly allowance of NPR 50,000. Additionally, Dr. Ram Baran Yadav receives NPR 192,000 per month, including housing rent. Former King Gyanendra Shah is provided with 50 security personnel, while former presidents Yadav and Bhandari each have 20 security personnel. The government also covers secretariat expenses, office assistants, drivers, and utility costs such as electricity and internet for former presidents.
Former prime ministers receive vehicles, fuel, a driver, and monthly allowances. However, if a former prime minister serves as the leader of the main opposition party, they are not eligible for dual benefits.
For the six incumbent VVIPs (president, vice president, prime minister, chief justice, speaker of the House of Representatives, and chairperson of the National Assembly), the Federal Secretariat Construction and Management Office under the Ministry of Urban Development has been covering all expenses related to the residence and housing management of these officials. This has resulted in a monthly expenditure of over Rs 10 million.
Home Ministry: We are Implementing SC Order
The government has made multiple attempts to formalize benefits for former high-ranking officials through parliamentary legislation, but no law has been enacted yet. Consequently, successive cabinet decisions have approved various benefits for former officials at different times.
Despite repeated efforts, no formal law has been enacted to regulate these benefits, with successive governments implementing them through cabinet decisions. In 2012, during Baburam Bhattarai’s tenure as prime minister, an ordinance sought to formalize these privileges but faced legal challenges. On December 8, 2011, the Supreme Court ruled that such provisions should be established through legislation.
Subsequent efforts under Prime Ministers Sushil Koirala, KP Sharma Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal also failed to pass a law. Home Ministry Spokesperson Ram Chandra Tiwari stated that discussions on drafting legislation have been ongoing for the past one and a half years. "We are working to draft the law as per the Supreme Court’s directive," he said.
