Kathmandu, Aug 18: Minister for Foreign Affairs, Shisir Khanal, has said the Passport Bill, 2083 will make the issuance, cancellation, and management of passports, as well as the overall process, compatible with international standards.
In response to questions raised during the discussion on the proposal seeking ‘consideration into the Passport (First Amendment) Bill, 2083’ at today’s meeting of the House of Representatives, he said the amendments are intended to further strengthen the standards, as required by International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and international credibility.
Minister Khanal explained since there are gaps in the existing Passport Act, 2076 in the changing global environment, the amendments have been proposed to make it timely and to ensure citizens’ smooth travel and security.
“Internalizing the latest standards and security protocols set by ICAO into national law is Nepal’s international obligation,” he said. “The mandatory provision to coordinate with INTERPOL to update details of lost or canceled passports is expected to strengthen the international credibility, reputation, and border security of Nepali passports.”
Minister Khanal clarified that efforts were made to simplify procedural hassles through the bill. “The old administrative hassle of constantly asking for unnecessary copies after submitting all documents has been ended,” he said, “The impractical restriction that citizens had to get their passport only from the place where they applied for citizenship has been removed, and arrangements for easy distribution have been made.”
A total of 35 MPs participated in the discussion on the proposal. The meeting approved the proposal by a majority.
At the meeting, Minister for Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs, Sobita Gautam, on behalf of Prime Minister Balendra Shah, presented the ‘Seventh Annual Report of the Tharu Commission, 2081/082’.
Speaker Aryal said that for today, consideration should be given to the ‘Reconciliation-Related (Second Amendment) Bill, 2083’. He informed the house that the proposal seeking consideration on the ‘Reconciliation (Second Amendment) Bill, 2083,’ scheduled for today, would be presented.
The agenda item on the ‘Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity Beyond National Jurisdiction under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea’ has been removed from the agenda of the day, it was stated.
