New housing bill proposed to secure housing rights for citizens

The Ministry of Physical Infrastructure Development has registered the Bhawan Ain 2083 bill at the Federal Parliament Secretariat. The bill, registered on Friday, aims to guarantee every citizen's right to housing, the ministry said. Every provision in it is a proposal that still needs parliament's approval. Under the bill, Nepali citizens building a house for the first time would get the river-based and natural construction materials they need free of charge, provided they build to the type design and standards set by the government. Citizens who apply would also get the natural materials needed to build a cowshed (goth) free. To secure housing for poor and deprived citizens, the bill proposes a grant of up to Rs 75,000: Rs 50,000 from the federal government and Rs 25,000 from the provincial government. Settlements at risk from disasters, or otherwise unsafe, would be moved to safe locations, where the government would build new houses. For middle-income families, the new Act and its regulations propose safe, earthquake-resistant "smart" homes that meet basic standards. Such homes would cost between Rs 20 lakh and Rs 75 lakh, with a plinth area of 900 to 1,300, according to the proposal. Citizens could get these homes through concessional loans. Under the first option, a buyer would pay Rs 5 lakh up front and then Rs 11,000 a month for 15 years. The other proposed options are: Rs 10 lakh down and Rs 15,000 a month; Rs 15 lakh down and Rs 20,000 a month; Rs 20 lakh down and Rs 30,000 a month; and Rs 25 lakh down and Rs 35,000 a month. The ministry says the bill seeks to make every Nepali citizen's right to housing legally secure, from a housing guarantee for low-income families to safe and organised homes for middle-income households. All of these provisions remain proposals until parliament approves the bill.