Kathmandu, Aug 10. National Assembly members have drawn the attention of the government to work seriously for preventing corruption and irregularities, controlling COVID-19 pandemic and mitigating the monsoon related disasters.

Speaking in the special hour of today’s NA meeting, they demanded the government to rehabilitate those affected from landslide and flood as well as provide appropriate compensation to them.

On the occasion, Tara Devi Bhatta of the Nepali Congress asked the government to provide appropriate compensation to the victims of landslide and flood as it has made massive destruction across the nation.

Pointing out the need of long-term plan to minimize losses, she also urged the government to resolve the problems seen with India in a diplomatic manner.

Similarly, Ramesh Jung Rayamajhi of the same party shared that the alliance of the ruling parties has already released the common minimum programme for the development of the nation as well as to stop the government from carrying out wrong activities.

He expressed the belief that Sher Bahadur Deuba would carry out activities in favour of the people in days ahead, urging to let the Deuba-led government to work.

Likewise, Maya Prasad Sharma of the CPN (Maoist Centre) opined that the country could not make development as per the expectation until corruption, irregularities and dillydallying are root out.

He also urged the government to finalize the remaining task of the peace process. Khimlal Bhattarai of the CPN (UML) mentioned that it was unfortunate not to get full shape by the government even after one month of its formation.

Lawmaker Bimala Ghimire has urged the government to manage appropriate relief to the victims of Darchula Tuin incident. She also opined to manage anti COVID-19 vaccines to the students who were appearing the examination including grade 12 graders.

Similarly, lawmaker Agam Prasad Bantawa Rai drew the attention of government relating to the issues of Team Garden in Ilam. He also asked to disclose the fact whether the team garden is paying tax or not.

Likewise, Tualasa Kumari Dahal said that the government was found not serious regarding the issues of landless squatters as it abruptly dissolved the Commission related to them. She said that the landless squatters in Nepal-India border sides were facing hardship therefore government should be serious to resolve their issues.

Udaya Sharma urged the government to take effective policy to end violence against women. She also urged the artists not to use vulgar and inappropriate words hurting the sentiment of women as such trent was found increasing of late.

Thagendra Prasad Puri urged the government to immediately release COVID-19 insurance fund as beneficiaries were not getting it since long.

Meanwhile, speaking in the ‘zero hour’ of the National Assembly meeting today, most of the lawmakers demanded that the government should take initiatives for providing appropriate compensation to the family of Jay Singh Dhami, who went missing after falling into the Mahakali river while crossing it through a tuin (rope bridge). It is alleged that the Indian Seema Surakshya Bal (SSB) personnel cut the cord of the rope bridge while Dhami was crossing the river when going to India from Darchula district.

They also reminded the government to take initiation for returning Limpiyadhura, Kalapani and Lipulek areas, the Nepali territories encroached upon by India, after the government last year issued a new political map of Nepal incorporating these territories.

The lawmakers called on the government to hold ‘meaningful’ diplomatic dialogue with India on these issues.
The lawmakers speaking in the zero hour were CPN (UML)’s Deepa Gurung, Nainakala Ojha, Nanda Chapain.
Chapain also demanded that the government should pay attention to curbing the ‘rising’ cases of violence against women.

Nepali Congress lawmaker Prakash Panta voiced that the people with disabilities were still deprived of their rights and the government should take measures to address their problems. RSS

Kathmandu, Aug 10. A report on the ‘Railway Bill, 2076 BS’ has been tabled in the National Assembly today. President of the Legislation Management Committee, Parashuram Meghi Gurung presented the report in the meeting of the Upper House of the federal Parliament.

Similarly, Gurung presented the Committee’s report on the ‘Accreditation Bill, 2076 BS’ in the National Assembly.
Likewise, Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Gyanendra Bahadur Karki, on behalf of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, tabled the ‘Public Service Broadcasting Bill, 2077 BS’ in the Upper House today. RSS

KATHMANDU, Feb 26: Parliamentarians have complained about government’s failure to ensure peace and security in the country.

In zero hour of Tuesday’s National Assembly meeting, they said that government’s failure to arrest those involved in bomb explosion at the office of telecom service provider as well as torching telephone towers at more than 21 places of the country with an objective of creating psychological terror in the society was objectionable.

Saying bomb blast and arson attack at the company run with international investment would hamper to attract further foreign investment at a time when the government has been forwarding its activities with the slogan of economic prosperity and development, they demanded to take action against the guilty soon.

Parliamentarian Deepa Gurung demanded to provide appropriate relief and compensation to the family of the victim of the incident as well as make arrangement of education, health and livelihood to the victim family.

Similarly, Badri Pandey expressed dissatisfaction for government’s failure to arrest the guilty of the bomb explosion and torching Ncell towers and demanded proper investigation into the incident.

Likewise, Dhana Khadiwada, Nanda Chapai, Prakash Panth, Pramila Kumari, Yutol Tamang, Ramesh Jung Rayamajhi and Ramesh Prasad Yadav drew government’s attention on contemporary issues. RSS

KATHMANDU, Feb 8: The National Assembly (NA) has sent four bills to the Legislation Management Committee for clause-wise discussion.

Minister for Women, Children and Senior Citizen Thammaya Thapa tabled the ‘Senior Citizen (First Amendment) Bill-2075 BS at today’s NA meeting seeking its clause-wise discussion at the Legislation Management Committee.

Likewise, Finance Minister Dr Yuba Raj Khatiwada presented a proposal seeking the ‘Pension Fund Bill-2075 BS’ received from the House of Representatives with message be sent to Legislation Management Committee for clause-wise discussion.

He also presented another proposal seeking clause-wise discussion on ‘Citizen Investment Trust (Second Amendment) Bill-2075 BS’ at the Legislation Management Committee.

Likewise, Minister for Communications and Information Technology Gokul Prasad Banskota presented a proposal seeking clause-wise discussion on ‘Advertisement Regulation Bill-2075 BS’ in the Legislation Management Committee.

NA Secretary Rajendra Phuyal informed the House of Representatives endorsed the ‘Commission on Investigation of Enforced Disappeared Persons and Truth and Reconciliation (Second Amendment)-2075 BS’ which was sent to the HoR with message after NA endorsement.

Next meeting of the NA, the upper house of federal parliament, will take place at 11.00 am on February 12. RSS

KATHMANDU, Jan 28: The meeting of the upper house has been postponed until January 31 following protest from the main opposition party Nepal Congress.

Secretary of the National Assembly, Rajendra Phuyal, had tabled the National Medical Education Bill 2075 forwarded by the House of Representatives with its message in the Assembly’s second meeting on Monday. But NC lawmakers, protesting the Bill, stood from their seats as a symbol of protest and obstructed the meeting.  A meeting of the House of Representatives on Friday had endorsed the Bill amid NC resistance.

Amidst the obstruction, the National Assembly Chairman Ganesh Prasad Timalsina announced that there would not be the ‘zero hour’ and ‘special hour’ in today’s session, and that various points have been removed from the meeting agenda.

Following this announcement, the main opposition party, Nepali Congress, lawmakers stood up from their respective seats, trooped in front of the rostrum and continued chanting slogans.

The upper house secretary Phuyal tabled the National Medical Education Bill 2075 BS amidst the sloganeering by the opposition party lawmakers.

Thereafter, NA chair Timalsina adjourned the meeting for half an hour. The first meeting of the National Assembly was also postponed due to the obstruction by the Nepali Congress.

After he failed to run the business, Timalsina adjourned the meeting till January 31.

However, the meeting has accepted the proposal to consider the approval of the Bill. The lawmakers have been asked to register their amendments within 72 hours.

NC lawmakers also obstructed the today’s meeting to protest the government’s no-decision regarding under which bodies the hospitals named after its two top leaders the late Girija Prasad Koirala and the late Sushil Koirala were to be operated.

The NC had obstructed the National Assembly meetings on January 7 and 21 before this also over the same issue.

KATHMANDU, Jan 21: The main opposition party Nepali Congress (NC) obstructed today’s National Assembly session, expressing its concern over the government apathy to operate the hospitals established in commemoration of party prominent leaders the late Girija Prasad Koirala and Sushil Koirala.

The recent meeting of the Council of Ministers decided to keep the operations of nine several hospitals across the country under the management of the federal government. But the hospitals established in the honor of the two leaders are not in the list of nine hospitals and the government has not yet decided on the matter.

Right after the commencement of the session, NC members stood from their seats as a symbolic protest and amidst it, Sarita Prasai questioned the government why it ignored the operation issue of two hospitals.

The contributions of the pair in materializing the Nepal’s historic peace process, bringing republic and the promulgation of the constitution through the Constituent Assembly are unforgettable and none is expected to underrate such contributions, according to her. She demanded the government to apprise the House about its opinions regarding the issue.

Following Prasai’s views, Minister of State for Health and Population Dr Surendra Kumar Yadav informed the House that there was no decision to scrap the hospitals. He took a time to share the Cabinet agreement to operate nine hospitals across the country under the federal government.

Surendra Pandey threw a question before the House that why two hospitals could not be included in the list of nine facilities while Ram Narayan Bidari of the major ruling party Nepal Communist Party (NCP) criticized the main opposition’s move and raised a question about its validity. The standing position of the main oppositions and sitting position of the ruling party on the Assembly did not suit to a parliamentary tradition, he quipped. Dr Bimala Poudel of the same party requested the main opposition not to obstruct the session as was mandated to finalize multiple bills.

NA chair Ganesh Timalsina called on the protesting upper house members to take their respective seats, but latter refused to do so, forcing the NA chair to adjourn the session by half an hour. RSS

KATHMANDU, Sept 16: The National Assembly’s meeting on Sunday has passed seven different bills related to fundamental rights.

The meeting passed ‘Bill relating to Safe Motherhood and Reproductive Health Rights-2075′ and Public Health Bill-2075’ presented by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Population, Upendra Yadav.

Similarly, ‘Bill relating to Employment Rights-2075’, presented by Minister for Labour, Employment and Social Security, Gokarna Bista, and ‘Bill relating to Consumer Protection’ presented by Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies, Matrika Yadav, have also been passed.

Likewise, the NA also passed ‘Bill relating to Right to Food-2075’ presented by Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Development, Chakrapani Khanal, ‘Bill relating to Right to Residence-2075’ presented by Minister for Urban Development, Mohammad Istiyaq Rai, and ‘ Land Bill- (seventh amendment)-2075’ presented by Finance Minister Dr Yubraj Khatiwada on the behalf of Minister for Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation, Padma Kumari Aryal.
The NA will meet again today itself. RSS

KATHMANDU, Aug 29: Chairs of three thematic committees, out of four, under the National Assembly (NA) have been elected unopposed.

The elected are Dil Kumari Thapa (National Concern and Coordination Committee); Parshuram Meghi Gurung (Legislation Management Committee); and Ram Narayan Bidari (Delegated Management and Government Assurance).

The nominations were made Tuesday and the single candidacy was filed for the post of chairperson of these committees.

No candidacy has been filed for the Sustainable Development and Good Governance Committee and as stated by the National Assembly Secretariat, the election of the committee chair will take place on the basis of consensus among parties after sometime. RSS

KATHMANDU, Aug 28: The bill related to children has been tabled in the meeting of the National Assembly, the Upper house of the Federal Parliament today.

Minister for Women, Children and Senior Citizens, Thama Maya Thapa presented the Bill Related to Children, 2075 in the meeting.

The meeting approved a proposal presented by Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Bhanubhakta Dhakal and seeking consideration on the Public Security Third Amendment) Bill, 2075 along with the message on it received from the House of Representatives, the lower house of parliament.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister Dhakal said the Bill has been amended based on the constitution, the Supreme Court precedents and international conventions and agreements. He urged the house of the seniors to take forward the bill.

Lawmaker Ram Narayan Bidari, taking part in the discussions on the principles of the bill, supported the amendment which, according to him, has been made with the goal of making the government, police and the administration realise their responsibilities and of stopping the state’s unnecessarily torturing the citizens.

Radheshyam Adhikari said that the Social Security Bill needed to be amended in line with the constitution, the principles established by the Supreme Court and the universally accepted principles of the law.

Likewise, the National Assembly gave its unanimous approval to the proposal presented by Law Minister Dhakal seeking to send the Bill on the Protection of Victim of Crime, 2075 to the Legislation Committee for clause-wise discussions.

Finance Minister Dr Yuba Raj Khatiwada presented the 55th Report of the Auditor General, 2074 BS in the National Assembly meeting today.

Secretary at the National Assembly, Rajendra Phuyal tabled the BIMSTEC Convention on Cooperation against International Terrorism, Trans-national Organized Crime and Illegal Drug Trafficking which was send by the House of Representatives along with its message. RSS

KATHMANDU, July 24: The meeting of the National Assembly on Tuesday has been postponed due to the obstruction of Nepali Congress (NC).

The lawmakers of the major opposition party stood from their respective places in a gesture of protest in the meeting.

While the NC lawmakers were obstructing the meeting, NA Chairperson Ganesh Prasad Timilsina allotted time for CPN Chief Whip Khimlal Bhattarai to voice his opinion.

NC lawmakers embroiled into verbal altercation with the CPN lawmakers after the former expressed their qualm over the NA’s Chairperson allowing the ruling parties’ lawmakers speak in the meeting instead of allocating time for the lawmakers from the opposition party to speak in the beginning.

The NA Chairperson postponed the meeting after NC lawmakers did not listen NA Chairperson Timilsina’s frequent request and continued protest standing from their respective seats.

CPN ‘s Chief Whip Bhattarai requested the NA Chairperson to enter into the agenda for deliberation in the meeting, arguing that the NC was responsible for the latest political development.

Today’s agenda was to nominate the members for the thematic committees. The NA will meet next at 11:00 am on July 25.  RSS