Minister Sita Badi Reports Progress in Policy and Legal Reforms

Kathmandu. Minister for Women, Children, Gender and Social Security Sita Badi has stated that significant progress has been made in policy and legal reforms during the 51 days of her tenure. She informed that out of the 15 major points related to the ministry's scope of work identified as per the Nepal Government's 100-point agenda, responsibilities for 28 tasks were allocated, and 15 of these tasks have already been completed. Minister Badi, while releasing her progress report on Monday, mentioned that the ministry has laid a policy foundation and shown high proactivity in solving the daily problems of citizens. According to the report, the investigation process related to land embezzlement, as per the report of the high-level inquiry commission regarding the Nepal Children's Organization, has been initiated within 15 days and sent to the relevant bodies. The ministry has prepared a preliminary draft of the National Senior Citizens Policy and approved the implementation action plan for the National Children's Policy 2080, which has been sent for implementation. Similarly, draft amendments to the Children Act 2075, the Human Trafficking and Transportation (Control) Act 2064, and the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2074 have been prepared and opinions have been collected, while the 'Employee Code of Conduct, 2083' has been formulated and implemented for the ministry's employees. New and creative initiatives have also been undertaken to make the ministry modern and citizen-friendly. The 'Child-Responsible Budget Indicator Operation and Management Procedure, 2082' has been approved, and the process of identifying investment towards children in the budget system has been initiated. A concept paper for the creation of digital awareness materials to reduce cyber violence against women and children has been prepared. Necessary actions have been initiated to protect the land, including Bhrikutimandap, under the Social Welfare Council and to recover outstanding dues, while dignity, adolescent, and hygiene kits have been distributed to the target groups in relocated slum settlements. GOMS has been fully implemented in all branches of the ministry. The ministry has given high priority to citizen service delivery, grievance management, and rescue operations. Under the 24-hour citizen assistance and grievance management system, the 1145 women's violence hotline has been made functional 24 hours a day, and the 104 and 1098 hotlines have been activated. Additionally, arrangements have been made for citizens to lodge grievances directly to the minister via QR code, which will be addressed immediately. During this period, 13 pregnant and postpartum women in remote areas facing life-threatening situations were rescued by air. 30 street children were rescued and protected, and out of 879 missing children, 494 were found and reunited with their families. Necessary coordination has been made with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Home Affairs for the repatriation of two girls from Nuwakot who were rescued from Calcutta (Sonagachi), India. Nine officials of the Social Welfare Council have been removed from their posts in accordance with the Ordinance on Special Arrangements for the Removal of Public Office Bearers, 2083. Performance appraisals of employees have been prepared with objective indicators linking performance to results. The process of making government apps and portals accessible to visually impaired individuals has been initiated, and the accessibility testing of the physical infrastructure of ministries has begun. Minister Badi expressed confidence that simplification of service delivery and effective implementation of social security programs in the coming days will make a concrete contribution to achieving the ministry's goals and citizen welfare.