KATHMANDU: President Ram Chandra Paudel has certified five ordinances recommended by the government led by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.
The ordinances, aimed at amending various acts to improve governance, economic management, and service delivery, were issued under Article 114 (1) of the Constitution of Nepal.
The ordinances were forwarded by the Council of Ministers during a meeting on January 10 and were certified by the President over a span of four days. Four of them were issued on January 13 and the fifth on January 15. Among these, four have already been published in the Gazette.
The ordinances include amendments to acts related to good governance and social service delivery, fiscal responsibility, privatization, investment promotion, and land management.
They introduce significant changes to existing laws, particularly focusing on enhancing economic procedures and addressing budgetary reforms.
The Economic Procedures and Fiscal Responsibility (First Amendment) Ordinance introduces 19 amendments to the existing Act, including redefining public bodies to include entities outside the formal budget system that receive government grants.
It also grants the Ministry of Finance authority to deposit funds from other government entities into the Federal Consolidated Fund for redistribution and to close funds deemed unnecessary.
The ordinance requires the National Planning Commission to forecast resource estimates and expenditure limits for the next three years by January end and mandates the Resource Estimates Committee to submit its findings to the Finance Minister by February 19 annually.
The Ministry of Finance has been empowered to adjust budget allocations and programs based on available resources and spending capacity before finalizing the federal budget.
All five ordinances must be approved by the House of Representatives within 60 days of the commencement of the parliamentary session.
Prime Minister Oli has stated that they will be tabled on the first day of the winter session.
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