Former President Bhandari Gives Up State Benefits After Returning to Politics

Former President Bidya Devi Bhandari has officially given up the services and facilities she was receiving from the state.This decision came shortly after she announced her return to active politics with the CPN-UML.

A letter regarding her decision to give up the state benefits was submitted to the Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday by her secretariat. The ministry confirmed that the letter has been forwarded to the relevant department. According to the ministry, Bhandari was receiving services worth around NPR 150,000 per month.

However, officials said that the security protocol provided to her as a former head of state cannot be removed—even if she wishes to. The army and police are responsible for providing this security.

The government has also rented a house for the security personnel assigned to her. The Ministry of Home Affairs clarified that while Bhandari can give up other state benefits, security arrangements remain mandatory under the protocol.

The rent for the security staff’s residence is directly paid to the landlord by the government.