KATHMANDU: Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Sobita Gautam has said the government introduced the Public Procurement (Second Amendment) Bill, 2083 to accelerate infrastructure development by removing long-standing legal and procedural bottlenecks.
Presenting a proposal on behalf of Prime Minister Balen Shah in the National Assembly on Saturday to consider the bill received from the House of Representatives, Gautam said the amendment is intended to address obstacles that have delayed infrastructure projects.
She said legal reforms are essential to ensure development projects are implemented in a faster, simpler, and more effective manner in line with the public’s aspirations for prosperity.
“The amendment seeks to end delays in infrastructure construction, make the public procurement process more efficient, and bring those who misuse advance payments under the legal framework,” Gautam told the National Assembly.
According to the minister, although the amendment could have been introduced through the regular parliamentary process, the government opted to proceed through an ordinance to address pressing challenges facing infrastructure projects.
“There are numerous complexities and obstacles in infrastructure projects. This provision was introduced through an ordinance to remove those bottlenecks and speed up construction works,” she said.
The proposal tabled by Gautam was unanimously endorsed by the National Assembly.
During the theoretical discussion on the bill, lawmakers Yubaraj Sharma, Nar Bahadur Bista, Prem Prasad Dangal, Ram Kumari Jhakri, Ranjit Karna, and Somnath Portel expressed their views on the proposed legislation.
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