KATHMANDU, May 10: The budget session of the federal parliament is starting today. 

The first session of the session will be held at 2:00 PM at the Federal Parliament Building, New Baneshwar. Following the tradition of convening the session at least 15 days before the budget presentation, President Ram Chandra Paudel summoned the session on the recommendation of the government. 

According to the constitutional provisions, the government will present the estimated income and expenditure statement for the next fiscal year to the Parliament on May 28.

The Federal Parliament Secretariat has completed preparations for the session. Secretariat Spokesperson Ekram Giri informed Republica that the work of seat management of the assembly has been completed and said that the work of hall and technical management has also been completed.

Spokesperson Giri stated that the meeting of the executive committee of both houses will be held on Friday. He said that preparations have been made for the meeting of the Business Advisory Committee of the House of Representatives to be held at 12:30 PM on Friday and the meeting of the National Assembly at 10 AM on Friday.

As today is the first day of the meeting, there is an agenda for Speaker Devraj Ghimire to read out the letter from the President's office regarding the approval of the bill and the letter from the Prime Minister's office regarding the increase in workload.

Likewise, the Speaker will also inform about the nomination of the members who will preside over the meeting. After that, on the occasion of the commencement of the session, MPs will address the meeting on a party basis.

In the meeting, the Chairman of the Education, Health and Information Technology Committee, Ammar Bahadur Thapa, will also present the report of the Committee on Security Printing Bill. Likewise, there is also a possible agenda for the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Supply, Damodar Bhandari, to present a proposal that the E-Commerce Bill 2080 BS, which originated in the National Assembly, should be sent to the relevant committee for clause-wise discussion.

According to Ekram Giri, the spokesperson of the Parliament Secretariat, the government's policy and programs and budget for the next fiscal year will be presented in addition to the financial, appropriation and national debt collection bill.

Only three bills were passed in the winter session of the Federal Parliament. Although there was an agenda to send some bills to the parliamentary committee before the end of the session of the Parliament, it could not proceed due to the obstruction of the opposition Nepali Congress.

Among the bills brought by the government in the parliament during the winter session, about three dozen bills are pending in the parliamentary committee.

Among the bills that have reached the committee since last mid-April, the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee of the House of Representatives include the Bill to amend the Constitutional Council (Functions, Duties, Power and Procedures) Act 2066 BS, the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (Third Amendment) Bill 2076 BS and Prevention of Corruption (First Amendment).

A bill to amend 79 laws in the Law, Justice and Human Rights Committee is under discussion, while a bill to amend the Investigation of Enforced Disappeared Persons, Truth and Reconciliation Commission Act, 2071 BS is also under discussion.

The Public Service Broadcasting Bill 2077 BS, Security Printing Bill 2077 BS, University Bill, and School Education Bill are under discussion in the Education, Health and Information Technology Committee. The International Relations and Tourism Committee is discussing the Archives Preservation (First Amendment) Bill, 2077 BS.

Even now, the Nepali Congress is maintaining its stand that a parliamentary investigation committee should be formed as Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane is also involved in the cooperative fraud case. If the Nepali Congress does not back down from its stand, it is expected that this session may also encounter disruptions.

Giri, the spokesperson of the Parliament Secretariat, emphasized that while the budget, policies, and programs will be prioritized during the monsoon session, other registered bills will also proceed accordingly.

He stated, "In the House of Representatives, there are currently 14 bills pending in committees, with one bill under discussion in the National Assembly committee. While some bills are actively being discussed, others require more time due to their complexity. Hence, it's important to note that not all bills will necessarily be passed."

Giri mentioned that the security printing bill is ready to be presented immediately. He further stated that once the committee receives the reports, other bills will progress accordingly, noting that some bills are yet to be discussed in the committee.

Giri explained that the timing for budget discussions in Parliament is determined by the Executive Committee. He added that the Executive Committee sets an agenda for discussing the budget, presenting policies and programs, and facilitating further deliberations.

 
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