House session to begin from Feb 5

The government on Tuesday requested President Ram Chandra Paudel to call a session of the Federal Parliament on Feb 5, three months after the prorogation of the annual session of the parliament (Nov 2).

Per a constitutional provision, the President shall call a session of the parliament on the recommendation of the government.

Earlier, the parties had differences on whether to call the session after UML’s Madhya Pahadi Yatra Campaign (Mid-hills Journey) or after National Assembly elections (slated for Jan 25), leaving the government in a fix over the House session. 

If Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s promises on the government’s policies and programs and budget are anything to go by, the House session should already have convened, paving the way for pre-budget discussions on policies and programs in the parliament in mid-February.

On May 29 last year, Finance Minister Prakash Sharan Mahat had announced in the House of Representatives that the principles and priorities of the budget-related Bill will be discussed in the parliament in mid-February, 2024.

For holding pre-budget discussions in the parliament, necessary laws should be drafted soon (mid-February to mid-March).

In addition, the government has been expressing commitment to introducing laws necessary for implementing the Constitution, which will be easier said than done. NA has found, in the course of a study, that the federal government must introduce 39 laws immediately for implementing the constitution.

It should be noted that provincial governments have been demanding what they call the ‘readjustment of the police force’ in line with the charter. Stakeholders with varying interests in Federal Civil Act and Education Act have also been piling pressure on the federal government to address their concerns.   

Citing the government’s promise to convene discussions on the budget in mid-February after introducing necessary laws, leaders of different political parties have been taking the government to task over delays in convening the parliament session.