KATHMANDU: The House of Representatives has endorsed a proposal to consider the Cooperative (First Amendment) Bill, 2083, paving the way for further parliamentary deliberation.
The bill, introduced to replace an existing ordinance, was approved by a majority following a theoretical discussion in Sunday’s second meeting of the House.
Lawmakers seeking to propose amendments have been asked to submit their recommendations to the Bill Section of the Federal Parliament.
Minister for Land Management, Cooperatives, Federal Affairs and General Administration Pratibha Rawal had tabled the proposal to move the bill forward for consideration.
Responding to concerns raised during the discussion, Minister Rawal said the bill had been introduced to make the cooperative sector more systematic and effective while ensuring the return of funds to cooperative victims.
She said the government remains committed to addressing problems in the cooperative sector and informed the House that a revolving relief fund had been established in line with plans initiated by the previous government.
During the discussion, lawmakers stressed the need to strengthen transparency and governance in cooperatives, describing the sector as an important pillar of economic transformation.
They also called for legal reforms to provide relief and compensation to victims affected by cooperative fraud and urged authorities to take legal action against those involved in financial misconduct without hesitation.
Several lawmakers also objected to the growing practice of replacing parliamentary processes with ordinances despite the legislature remaining in session.
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