KATHMANDU: Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak on Tuesday presented a detailed account of his reform efforts and accomplishments since taking office, stating that his tenure has prioritized policy, legal, and structural reforms.
Speaking at the Nepali Congress Central Working Committee meeting, he emphasized that notable results have already begun to surface.
“I had pledged to focus on policy, legal, and structural reforms – and accordingly, those efforts are underway and producing results,” Lekhak said.
One of his key highlights was the impending enactment of a new law governing Nepal Police, replacing the decades-old legal framework from 1955.
“For 70 years, Nepal Police has operated under an outdated law. Now, a new act is in the making. A similar act is also being drafted for the Armed Police Force to strengthen national security,” he said.
He also underscored the passage of a new citizenship law as a major achievement.
“Previously, children of mothers whose husbands were absent or missing could not obtain citizenship through their mother’s name due to a legal vacuum. That has now changed,” Lekhak said, referring to provisions enabling such children to acquire citizenship under their mother’s name, as mandated by the constitution.
The House of Representatives has already passed the bill, and Lekhak expressed confidence that the National Assembly would soon follow suit. He also mentioned that the new law would include the issuance of identity cards for minors.
“These laws—governing citizenship, police, and armed police—will make Nepal’s peace and security mechanisms more robust,” he said, adding that key emerging challenges had been successfully addressed. “Activities aimed at reversing the republic have been neutralized. Potential religious unrest in some parts of the country has also been averted.”
Lekhak outlined four major criminal trends currently posing serious challenges: road accidents, drug abuse, suicide, and cybercrime.
“We are working intensively to address and reduce these,” he stated.
On enforcement, he noted an intensified crackdown on financial fraud, including in the cooperative sector.
“We have even extradited individuals from abroad to face legal action,” he said. “For the first time, a large lump sum of Rs 250 million in illicit funds has been confiscated.”
He concluded by saying that while progress has been made, much remains to be done to improve peace, security, and law enforcement across the country.
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