KATHMANDU: The government has introduced a new mechanism under which lawmakers will be directly informed by phone about the progress made in addressing public concerns they raise in the federal parliament.
The Prime Minister’s Office will also conduct weekly monitoring of the implementation of the system, according to officials.
During a meeting with ministry focal officials at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers on Friday, Prime Minister Balendra Shah’s political adviser Asim Shah instructed ministries to actively follow up on issues raised in both houses of the Federal Parliament instead of merely recording them.
“Questions and concerns raised by lawmakers on issues affecting citizens’ lives should not remain limited to documentation. The concerned ministries must work actively to resolve them and directly inform the respective lawmakers about the progress,” Shah said.
Under the new arrangement, ministries will be required to submit weekly reports to the Prime Minister’s Office detailing actions taken on issues raised by lawmakers and updates provided to the concerned MPs.
Shah said the Speaker and chief whips would also be informed about the new mechanism.
Recalling his own experience as a lawmaker, Shah said MPs often became discouraged when issues they raised in Parliament failed to receive effective follow-up from the government. He said the current administration would treat public concerns raised by lawmakers from all political parties as a shared government responsibility.
Government spokesperson and Joint Secretary Hemraj Aryal said the initiative aims to strengthen the government’s direct accountability to citizens through Parliament.
According to Aryal, the mechanism will cover all public concerns raised during zero hour, special hour or other parliamentary proceedings in both the House of Representatives and the National Assembly.
He said ministers’ verbal responses in Parliament alone would no longer be considered sufficient, as ministry officials would now be required to contact the concerned lawmakers directly and provide updates on the progress of resolving the issues.
The Prime Minister’s Office said there had previously been no institutional mechanism to keep lawmakers informed about the implementation of commitments made in Parliament.
Aryal added that each ministry would now submit weekly reports to the Prime Minister’s Office on the status of issues raised in Parliament, measures taken to address them and updates shared with lawmakers.
The Prime Minister’s Office will consolidate the reports for regular review and monitoring and is also preparing to develop an integrated record management system through a management information system.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office, the new arrangement is expected to improve the government’s responsiveness to parliamentary concerns, strengthen accountability to citizens and enhance coordination among ministries.
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