KATHMANDU: The second session of the House of Representatives under the Federal Parliament concluded on Friday after 145 days. During the session, the House held 68 meetings over 62 days, conducting parliamentary business for a total of 277 hours and 30 minutes.
Concluding the session, Speaker Dol Prasad Aryal said the House had made significant contributions to legislative work while also addressing issues of public concern.
The government registered 35 bills during the session. Of these, 12 were passed by both houses of the Federal Parliament, while 11 were authenticated by the President. Another 20 bills remain under consideration in parliamentary committees.
Major legislation passed during the session includes the Finance Bill, 2083; Appropriation Bill, 2083; National Debt Collection Bill; Election of Members of the House of Representatives (First Amendment) Bill; and Voters’ Roll (First Amendment) Bill. The House also passed the Public Procurement (Second Amendment) Bill, Prevention of Money Laundering (Third Amendment) Bill, Cooperatives (First Amendment) Bill, a bill amending certain Nepal laws related to health sciences academies, and the bill on the revival of the Nepal Special Services Act, 2042.
The Alternative Development Finance Mobilization Bill, 2082, which had been carried over from the previous session, was also approved during this session.
Among other legislative developments, the House passed the National Service Party Bill, 2083, and the National Forensic Science Laboratory Bill, 2082, which had been received from the National Assembly. The Federal Civil Service Bill, 2083, was registered on Thursday, while the Diploma Engineering Council Bill, 2083, was presented in the House. Committee reports on the Nepal Rastra Bank (Third Amendment) Bill and the Bill on Remuneration and Facilities of Officials of Constitutional Bodies were also submitted.
At the beginning of the session, the government introduced several ordinances. The House endorsed ordinances related to public procurement, money laundering, cooperatives, and the Health Sciences Academy, thereby initiating the process of converting them into legislation.
The session also focused extensively on the government’s budget and annual revenue and expenditure estimates for the upcoming fiscal year. The Appropriation Bill was passed by a majority. During the session, 13 question-and-answer sessions concerning various ministries were conducted, while answers to 16 oral and eight written questions were tabled in the House.
The House also adopted a special resolution expressing concern over the loss of lives and property caused by floods and landslides in the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river areas and directed the government to carry out rescue and relief operations for affected communities. In addition, a 15-member special parliamentary committee was formed to study the impacts of climate change and disaster management.
Meanwhile, opposition parties repeatedly demanded that Prime Minister Balendra Shah’s remarks concerning the Nepal-India border, made during a question-and-answer session, be removed from the parliamentary record and that he provide a response to the issue. The Prime Minister did not respond to the demand, and the Speaker retained the remarks in the parliamentary record.
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