Ekaram Giri, spokesperson for the House of Representatives, says the ministries usually send their representatives to attend the parliamentary meetings. It is the task of these representatives to report the matters discussed in meetings to their respective ministries.
Besides, Giri adds, the House sessions are broadcast live for everyone to see. So, the ministers who cannot make time to show up in parliamentary meetings can always remain updated. Whether or not the ministers choose to stay in the loop is another story entirely. Speaking at a special time in the meeting of the House of Representatives on Wednesday, several lawmakers pointed out the issues of public importance and a few suggested ways to resolve them. Here is what they had to say: Arju Deuba, Nepali Congress I am suggesting ways to improve the education quality in government schools. There has been a lot of politics in the formation of school management committees. The existing guidelines should be updated to change the way these committees work. To make an environment for English medium teaching in primary schools, necessary rules, policies and resources should be ensured. It is necessary to increase the admission rate in schools. Every aspect of society should pay attention to this. Let us clarify the rights and authority of the three-tier government. Let us evaluate the performance of teachers and students. It is also necessary to regularly inspect and evaluate schools. Students and teachers should be rewarded and punished on the basis of the results. Madhav Sapkota, CPN-Maoist Center Only those who have never been in the position of privilege and profit in their life should be appointed to the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority. People who have enjoyed exercising authority should not go to the commission, as they will be influenced in one way or the other. Our constitutional bodies and agencies have been turned into clubs for the retired bureaucrats. It is like people go there to enjoy power, to rest, and to spend time like aristocrats. Sumana Shrestha, Rastriya Swatantra Party Why is there an emergency postponement of parliamentary meetings? If we cannot coordinate between the Cabinet and Parliament, how will we coordinate between many ministries and agencies in big projects? Is the taxpayers’ money so cheap? Is this because the money does not come out of our pocket? Let's call a mistake a mistake. A tendency is being set where the state resources and the precious time meant for parliamentary business are being wasted at the whims and fancies of the government. Amresh Kumar Singh, independent The citizenship bill was not passed by the government because it concerns the children of the poor. Had it been the question of the children of the prime minister or former prime ministers, it would have long been passed. The children of the poor people are suffering because they do not have citizenship documents. Every government and its leaders promise to solve the citizenship problem, but they are working in the shadows to stop its passage. I have seen such double standards when I was a member of the parliamentary committee for state administration. The previous government deliberately blocked the passage of the citizenship bill. The ruling MPs at the time put the bill on hold. The problem of citizenship is the problem of the poor, and since they do not have any power, ignoring their concern is easy. When a select community tries to run the government as per their convenience and vested interest, there is a risk of the country plunging into a crisis. If that happens, no one will be more accountable than those few individuals who have served as the prime minister of this country in the recent decades. Uday Shumsher JB Rana, Nepali Congress The government must find the short- and long-term ways to control the worsening air pollution of Kathmandu Valley. Incidence of forest fires and seemingly unending road widening projects in and around the Valley have contributed to the rising air pollution problem. Ain Bahadur Shahi Thakuri, Nepali Congress The government should open transit points along the Nepal-China border in Humla. It takes a two-day walk from Khatyad of Mugu to reach the district headquarters. Open an area administration office within the municipality. Ranju Kumari Jha, Janata Samajbadi Party The government should arrange fertilizers for farmers. There has been a government to government agreement with India to bring fertilizers in the country, so why has the Salt Trading Corporation been given the tender to bring fertilizer? Why has the government planned to bring low grade chemicals from Iran revoking the past government’s decisions? This government must give answers. Prem Suwal, Nepal Majdoor Kisan Party It will be disastrous to let Nepal’s private companies involved in hydropower generation sell the energy to India. The government should sell the green energy to India only after meeting the domestic energy requirement
