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The team representing the Campaign for Nepali Congress Transformation today called on Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and demanded the government take action against all those found indulging in corruption.

The team urged the government to act tough against corruption to promote good governance in the country.

The delegation comprising Madhu Acharya, Jagadishwar Narsingh KC, Bhupendra Jung Shahi, Khagendra Malla, Janardan Acharya, Shanta Bastakoti and others had been at Baluwatar, the official residence of the Prime Minister, to urge the PM to ensure impartial investigations into the Lalita Niwas land procurement scam and to hold accountable all individuals proven guilty in the case. 

The team also drew the government's attention not to harbor any political favor towards and prejudice against anyone in the investigation in relation to the gold scam and to conclude the case impartially. The delegation also called for thorough investigation into the fake Bhutanese refugee scam and to bring it to a conclusive resolution.

The delegation stressed the significance of holding anyone involved in corruption accountable, regardless of their political or social status.

In response, the Prime Minister assured the delegation that the government is committed to concluding all the corruption related cases with impartially and seriousness.  

Nine months after the election of the House of Representatives, the process of selecting the leadership of the parliamentary committees has just started.

In Thursday's meeting of the House of Representatives, the Speaker had announced that the election of the presidents of all 10 thematic committees had been fixed for Monday afternoon at 3 pm.

Nominations can be registered from 11 am to 4 pm today, said Parliament Secretary Padma Prasad Pandey.

This time, out of the two joint committees and 10 thematic committees under the House of Representatives, the ruling party Nepali Congress has claimed four seats, CPN (Maoist Center) two, CPN-UML three, CPN (Unified Socialist) one, and Janamat Party one.

Under the House of Representatives there are the Finance Committee, International Relations and Tourism Committee, Industry and Commerce and Labor and Consumer Affairs Committee, Law, Justice and Human Rights Committee, Agricultural Cooperatives and Natural Resources Committee, Women and Social Affairs Committee, State Affairs and Good Governance Committee.

The Infrastructure Development Committee, Education, Health and Information Technology Committee and Public Accounts Committee will also get new leadership on Monday.

The judiciary and legislative are once again at loggerheads over the constituency development fund. A day after the Supreme Court prohibited the utilization of government-allocated funds for constituency development, lawmakers on Thursday criticized the judiciary for overstepping its jurisdiction.

On Wednesday, the Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court issued an interim order halting the implementation of the budget assigned for the Constituency Development Funds in the fiscal year 2023/24. The court cited the principles of the separation of powers, the responsibilities of managerial tasks, the roles of legislators, the obligations of the planning commission and associated ministries, the notion of planned development, conflicts of interest, good governance, and accountability behind its order.

Shyam Kumar Ghimire, a lawmaker from the Nepali Congress, voiced his disapproval of the interim order, accusing the Supreme Court of overstepping its authority and infringing upon the affairs of the legislative. During Thursday’s session of the House of Representatives, he contended that the order had impinged upon the constitution’s principle of maintaining a clear separation of powers among the executive, legislative, and judicial branches.

Surya Thapa, a lawmaker from the opposition CPN-UML, asserted that the exclusive authority to create and allocate budget lies solely with the parliament. He emphasized that the prerogative to make decisions regarding the budget resides exclusively within the parliamentary chambers.

Constitutional expert Bhimarjun Acharya says that the constitution has not solely established the separation of powers, but has also implemented check and balance. “I think the apex court has used the power of check and balance and reviewed it as there were complaints about misuse of constituency development funds.”
He also points out that the court has only issued an interim order. “If the fund is not misused, the court might review its decision again,” he adds.

The government had allocated Rs 50m to each of the 165 constituencies under the ‘Parliamentary Infrastructure Development Program’.

The meeting of the Investment Board of Nepal has approved investment worth a total of Rs 36. 37 billion for four hydropower projects.

A meeting of the Investment Board presided over by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal approved investment worth a total of Rs 36. 37 billion for Rolwaling river, Chujung river, Dana river and Sanibheri Hydropower projects.

Reviewing the current progress regarding the implementation of the Tamor Reservoir Hydropower Project, the meeting has decided to form a high-level committee to present suggestions pertaining to the working procedures of the future project.

Similarly, the meeting has decided to grant a study permit to Dolma Himalayan Energy for the study of a solar energy project of 245 MW and 20 MW battery capacity in Rajpur Rural Municipality of Dang District.

Likewise, the Board has taken note of the detailed feasibility study report submitted by the Risen Energy Co. Ltd for the development of 250 MW solar energy in Kohalpur of Banke and Bandganga of Kapilvastu.

The Board has decided to present a proposal to the Council of Ministers for the implementation of the order issued by the Supreme Court in relation to the Upper Karnali Hydropower Project.

Moreover, the Board has approved the draft of the Memorandum of Understanding to be signed with a company based in Malaysia for carrying out a study on setting up a chemical fertilizer industry.

On the occasion, Prime Minister Dahal directed all the bodies concerned to carry out more study and analysis so that the determination of cost for hydroelectricity projects is 'bankable' in the coming days, to deepen the required coordination for timely completion of the projects under construction, and to carry out result-oriented works by shortening the processes related to investment approval and project implementation.