The government of Nepal has issued an ordinance to significantly reduce the waiting period for declaring individuals missing in disasters legally dead. The timeframe has been cut from 12 years to just 45 days. This policy change was formalised by President Ram Chandra Poudel on Friday, following a recommendation from the cabinet led by Prime Minister Balendra Shah.
The move is expected to provide essential relief to the families of 5,285 individuals who remain missing following the floods that occurred on August 26. This group includes at least 189 Indian nationals who went missing during the same catastrophe. The updated regulation allows these families to obtain official death certificates, which are necessary to pursue inheritance, insurance, and various other legal compensation claims.
For the families of the 189 Indian victims, the administrative process requires documentation proving that their relatives were present in the flood-affected regions on the day of the disaster. The Embassy of India in Kathmandu is set to coordinate with Nepalese authorities to verify these details. Local registration offices will subsequently process applications based on nationality documents, police reports, and official embassy certifications where applicable.
While the ordinance provides a clear pathway for obtaining death certificates and completing consular formalities, it does not currently specify whether foreign nationals are eligible for compensation under Nepal’s existing disaster relief provisions. Once the documentation process is finalised in Nepal, families will be able to present these legal certificates within India to initiate their respective claims. The ordinance took effect immediately upon its issuance, a day before the 45-day milestone since the floods was scheduled to conclude.
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