Nepal’s Federal Parliament currently has 36 bills pending, with 24 under review by various thematic committees in the House of Representatives.
These bills cover topics such as financial laws, passports, payments, solid waste management, films, and mining.
Ekram Giri, the spokesperson for the Parliament Secretariat, noted that the National Assembly committees are not currently debating any bills. However, the National Service Corps Bill, already passed by the House of Representatives, is awaiting presentation in the Upper House.
This indicates the significant work load ahead for the committees as they resume discussions on bills.
Highest Activity in Education, Health, and Information Technology Committee
The Education, Health, and Information Technology Committee leads with five bills. The Finance Committee has four bills, while the International Relations and Tourism, Women and Social Affairs, and Law, Justice, and Human Rights Committees each have three. The Industry, Commerce, Labour and Consumer Interest Committee and the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee have two bills pending, while the Agriculture, Cooperatives, and Natural Resources Committee has one bill.
These bills cover financial regulations, passports, payments, waste management, and mining.
Some bills were previously discussed clause by clause before the break, while others have just started discussions. Progress will continue once the committees reconvene.
7 New Bills Registered
Seven new bills have been registered with the House of Representatives, including the Federal Civil Service Bill, 2083, which was submitted on the last day of the session.
Following the session’s conclusion, six additional bills were registered, including those related to the Nepal Civil Aviation Authority, Nepal Air Services Authority, Good Governance, Building Regulations, National Road Safety, and Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency.
Additionally, the Diploma Engineering Council Bill has been presented.
These new bills focus on public administration, infrastructure, transportation safety, governance, and energy, and their progress will depend on Parliament’s schedule.
Reports Completed on 2 Bills
Reports have been finalized on two bills.
The First Amendment Bill, 2083, concerning the service conditions and facilities for office holders of Constitutional Bodies, has been submitted to the House and is currently under debate.
The Nepal Rastra Bank Third Amendment Bill has also been reported and submitted to the Secretariat.
12 Bills Authenticated by President
Currently, 12 bills have successfully passed through both houses of the Federal Parliament and have been authenticated by the President.
Additionally, six treaties and conventions have been approved by Parliament.
This highlights that while some bills have cleared Parliament, others still require committee review.
Parliament to Resume Discussions
President Ram Chandra Paudel has prorogued Parliament as of midnight on October 2, following a government recommendation.
The Secretariat announced that committees will resume discussions on pending bills after the Dashain holidays. Some bills had begun clause by clause discussions, while others were in the early stages.
It will be crucial to monitor how quickly these bills can progress, given the 36 pending bills and the registration of new ones. The speed of committee discussions will be a key factor.