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Speaker Devraj Ghimire has urged the parties to finalize the leadership of the Parliamentary Hearing Committee within three days. During a meeting of the Business Advisory Committee held on Sunday morning, Speaker Ghimire directed the parties to finalize the leadership of two joint committees including the Parliamentary Hearing Committee within three days. Similarly, he said that the attendance of the lawmakers in the Parliament will be made public through the Parliament’s website.  

The newly appointed secretaries of the House of Representatives and National Assembly took the oath of office and secrecy on Sunday. HoR Secretary Padma Prasad Pandey and NA Secretary Surendra Aryal were sworn-in this afternoon. Speaker Deveraj Ghimire administered the oath to Pandey and NA Chairman Ganesh Prasad Timilsina to Aryal amidst a program organized in Singha Durbar. The duo were appointed as the secretaries after the five-year tenure of HoR Secretary Gopal Nath Gogi and NA Secretary Rajendra Phuyal had ended recently.    

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal today said the present situation was not worrisome as efforts were underway to bring improvements in the country's economy by addressing the problems. There was panic created among people alleging a looming economic crisis, but the situation is not like that and such anxiety has been gradually diminishing, he said while addressing the Nepal Trade Summit-2023 here. "Last year, panic was created alleging that Nepal's economy is about to go bankrupt like that of Sri Lanka. But now, there is no such situation. Presently, we do not mention an example of Sri Lanka. There is a serious economic problem. But the situation has not reached the point where panic has been created. The government has focused on how to ease the economic situation." He blamed the global COVID-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war and various global political and economic episodes for Nepal's affected economy while urging all to be responsible and put in efforts for economic improvement. The PM also stressed the need for all sectors including the government, respective sectors, development partners, main political parties and other stakeholders to come together to expedite economic activities of the country. To make the economy vibrant in the crisis is one of the prime needs of the hour, according to the Prime Minister who said the government was cautiously trying to achieve economic growth with the acceleration of economic activities. "Amidst vivid challenges, the nation's economy is gradually taking a path of improvement and it has been reflected in national and international data." Despite the projections of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank about the possibility of economic slowdown in other developed and developing countries, Nepal's economy is gradually improving, the Prime Minister claimed. "We observed the balance of payment surplus for some time and the status of Forex has improved, the quantity of imports has decreased and the rise in remittance inflow is encouraging. Overall, the external indicators of the nation's economy are improving. " As he said, the maximum utilization of internal resources to advance towards economic prosperity should be the priority of the government's upcoming policies and programs and the budget. "Nepal is rich in water, land and other means of natural resources including forest productions and herbs.  In addition to this, it is enriched by the youth force. Exploration of abundant possibilities in these sectors and their proper utilization is vital to build a prosperous Nepal. "There is a need to increase domestic and foreign investment in agriculture and forest, hydropower, tourism and IT, the areas with abundant potential to achieve rapid economic growth." According to the Prime Minister, the government prioritizes the agricultural sectors and has the policy of promoting agriculture, tourism, hydropower and entrepreneurship to promote domestic improvement and improve exports, keeping the economy vibrant.  As he said, the government is serious towards taking efforts aiming to improve economic indicators.

The budget session of the Federal Parliament is beginning today. President Ram Chandra Paudel had summoned the session as per Article 93 (1) of the Constitution of Nepal. The meeting is taking place at 4 pm. Government's policy and programs and annual budget for the upcoming fiscal year would be tabled in this session of the House. In today's House of Representatives (HoR) meeting, Finance Minister Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat is scheduled to table a proposal on the Principle and Priorities of Appropriation Bill for discussions.