KATHMANDU: The State Affairs and Good Governance Committee today met with lawmakers registering amendment proposals in regard to the Bill to amend and integrate the laws relating to prison to get apprised about the reasons for the amendment.
The Committee held discussions with them before entering the clause-wise deliberations over the Bill.
In the meeting, lawmakers Yashoda Subedi, Durga Poudel and Krishna Bhakta Pokhrel defended their proposals. A total of 24 amendment proposals (joint and single) have been registered over the bill.
It may be noted that the government lately has floated the concept of open jail as well. In the meeting, Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa tried to specify the objective of bringing the Bill. As he said, it was aimed to revise existing acts relating to the establishment, operation of the management of prisons.
The constitution has mentioned the issues concerning prison and detention management and peace and security under the concurrent rights of the Federal and Province. As said by the Minister, the Bill seeks to establish coordination between the Federal and Province governments to exercise the same right.
The participants of the meeting spoke of the need for massive reform in Nepal’s prison management and described the concept of an open prison as a new one. They were of the view of legalizing the provision of exempting 50 percent of penalty for those completing the 50 percent term honestly.
The proposed bill has the provisions for health checkup facilities for detainees and inmates, hospital and health post in the prison, a meeting room, protection of reproductive health rights of detainees and inmates, and for skill-oriented and income-generating programs for them. It proposes for ensuring the right to education of detainees and inmates, for providing food and care to the minors, shelter, foods and health care facilities for pregnant and post-partum mothers and so on.
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