“Shortcomings in ordinances will be addressed by bringing replacement bill”

KATHMANDU: The ruling parties have reached an agreement to advance the bills under consideration in Parliament through both houses.

A meeting of chief whips of ruling parties held on Sunday took the decision. The meeting has decided to prioritize two Bills – the Bill to Amend and Consolidate Laws Related to School Education, 2023, and the Bill Related to Federal Civil Service Formation, Operation, and Service, 2022.

CPN-UML Chief Whip Mahesh Bartaula said the ruling parties are in favor of presenting all ordinances for approval in both houses of Parliament. “The ordinances will be approved smoothly. If something is not right in the ordinances, it will be fixed by bringing replacement bills,” he added.

President Ram Chandra Paudel issued the Ordinance to Amend Some Nepal Acts Related to Good Governance Promotion and Public Service Delivery, the Economic Procedures and Financial Responsibility (First Amendment) Ordinance, the Privatization (First Amendment) Ordinance, the Ordinance to Amend Some Nepal Acts Related to Improving Economic and Business Environment and Investment Promotion, and the Ordinance to Amend Some Nepal Acts Related to Land Management in the first week of January.

As per the constitution, the ordinances need to be passed by a majority vote in both the National Assembly and the House of Representatives. Although the government enjoys a comfortable majority in the lower house, it lacks the required numbers in the upper house.

With two parties supporting the government – Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP) Nepal and Loktantrik Samajbadi Party (LSP) Nepal – already stating that they would reject the land-related ordinance, the government has not been able to present the ordinances for voting in Parliament.