School Education Bill, Land Bill tabled in Parliament

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Aug. 23: The House of Representatives has unanimously passed the Alternative Development Finance Mobilisation Bill 2025, which Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel welcomed as a gateway to large-scale physical infrastructure development through alternative funding sources. 

Speaking in the parliament on Friday, he praised the swift, united effort of lawmakers, stating that the bill sets a national precedent for addressing critical development needs efficiently. The bill, aimed at mobilising investments for high-return infrastructure projects, received cross-party support, with opposition MPs commending the initiative as a new and necessary concept for national growth. 

Similarly, Minister for Labour, Employment and Social Security, Sarat Singh Bhandari informed the House that over 613,000 formal sector workers and 1.8 million workers preparing for foreign employment have been enrolled in the Social Security Fund, including some from informal and self-employed sectors. He also highlighted Nepal’s global uniqueness in extending social security to outbound workers and said steps are underway to ratify ILO Conventions 81 and 87 to strengthen labour inspection across all sectors. 

The government is restructuring labour and employment services to align with federalism and has established an Internal Employment Management Division to coordinate job programmes at all levels.

 Meanwhile, significant progress was made on two other key legislative fronts. 

The Agriculture, Cooperatives and Natural Resources Committee presented its report on the Bill to Amend Certain Nepal Acts Relating to Land, 2025, with debate arising over provisions allowing the government to set land limits via notified order, a move opposed by the Maoist Centre and the Rastriya Swatantra Party over concerns of executive overreach. The bill, which also proposes easing criteria for distributing land to unorganised settlers, seeks to modernise land laws and support the real estate sector by amending existing acts related to land, forests and conservation. 

Similarly, the Education, Health and Information Technology Committee submitted the report on the School Education Bill, which proposes significant reforms including allowing teachers to allocate 60 per cent of student grades and aligning school staff salaries with local laws while ensuring federal minimum wage compliance.

Both bills, passed by their respective committees on Thursday, will proceed to the National Assembly after endorsement by the House of Representatives.

Similarly, the Nepal Citizenship (Second Amendment) Bill has been unanimously passed by the National Assembly on Friday. The bill, which was passed by the House of Representatives, will now be sent back to the House of Representatives by the National Assembly. The passed bill includes a provision that citizenship certificates can be issued in the mother's name with conditions.

651 killed in explosions in 30 years 

Meanwhile, Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak has informed the National Assembly that a total of 651 people, including police personnel and civilians, have lost their lives in explosions and landmine incidents from 1995 to June 2025. Responding to a query by MP Madan Kumar Sah, he added that 2,899 individuals were injured during 

this period.

The minister stated that the government has provided Rs. 1 million in relief to the families of those killed in conflict-era incidents. Additionally, annual scholarships are being provided to children of the injured and martyrs, and orphans aged below 18 years receive a monthly allowance of Rs. 5,000. Subsistence allowance is also being distributed to the injured and disabled, based on their level of disability, through the District Administration Offices.

Minister Lekhak further noted that compensation, treatment costs, and relief standards are being implemented in line with the Government of Nepal’s 2022 decision.

Meanwhile, concern continued in parliament over a recent agreement between India and China to resume trade through Nepal’s Lipulek, Limpiyadhura, and Kalapani regions. 

The lawmakers asserted that the territories are sovereign parts of Nepal. The MPs strongly objected to the agreement, which was reportedly signed without Nepal’s involvement, and called on the government to take immediate diplomatic action. With Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli expected to visit both countries soon, lawmakers urged that the issue be raised at the highest level. 

Additional issues raised in Parliament included the spread of lumpy skin disease in livestock, illegal post-budget tax changes, and the need to protect local languages and ensure effective federal coordination. Lawmakers stressed unity in defending national interests and territorial integrity.

The next session of House of Representatives is scheduled for August 29.