KATHMANDU, May 3: Out of the 27 bills that were rendered inactive in the House of Representatives and the National Assembly between 2074 and 2079 BS, as many as 26 have not yet been registered in the federal parliament. Among the inactive ones, the Media Council Bill was registered in parliament a few days ago.
In the previous parliament, 27 bills were inactive after the end of the term of parliament while they were in various stages. Even though the term of the House of Representatives is over, 10 of the 12 non-active bills in the National Assembly are still pending. The Monitoring and Evaluation Bill, the Food Purity and Quality Bill and the Anti-Money Laundering Bill have been passed by parliament's winter (third) session.
According to an official of the Parliament Secretariat, the government did not pay attention to the need of bringing the bills to parliament and taking the initiative to get the bills passed by parliament. Although the government has said that it is preparing to collect the inactive bills and re-register them, the bills have not yet come to parliament.
Among the remaining bills of the previous parliament, the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (Third Amendment) Bill, 2076, Prevention of Corruption (First Amendment) Bill, Constitutional Council (Works, Duties, Rights and Procedures) (First Amendment) Bill, 2079 are still under discussion in the State Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives.
Parliament business to resume from tomorrow: PM Dahal
According to an official from the Parliament Secretariat, the government has neglected the necessity of introducing certain bills to parliament and initiating their passage. Despite the government's assurance of collecting inactive bills for re-registration, these bills have yet to be presented to parliament.
The Immigration Bill, 2076 is in the Legislation Committee of the National Assembly. The Public Service Broadcasting Bill, 2077, Security Printing Bill, 2077 are in the Education, Health and Information Technology Committee of the House of Representatives.
The Archives Preservation (First Amendment) Bill, 2077 is in the International Relations and Tourism Committee of the House of Representatives. The Covid-19 Crisis Management Bill, 2078 and the Copyright (First Amendment) Bill, Social Security (First Amendment) Bill, 2077 were not moved forward in parliament.
The Immigration Bill of 2076 is currently under review in the Legislation Committee of the National Assembly. Additionally, the Public Service Broadcasting Bill 2077 and the Security Printing Bill of 2077 are being deliberated within the Education, Health, and Information Technology Committee of the House of Representatives.
Furthermore, the Archives Protection (First Amendment) Bill of 2077 is undergoing examination by the International Relations Committee of the House of Representatives. However, the Ordinance for COVID-19 Crisis Management, 2078, along with the Bill to amend the Copyright Act, and the Social Security (First Amendment) Bill of 2077, too, were not moved forward in parliament.
Among the bills passed by the House of Representatives in October 2022, there are Bills made to make provisions for maintaining peace and security, Bills made for making provisions for information technology, Bills made for making provisions for faster construction and development of national priority projects, National Security Council Bill, 2075, National Human Rights Commission Act , 2018, Bank and Financial Institutions (First Amendment) Bill 2076, Nepal Rastra Bank (Third Amendment Bill) 2076, Securities (First Amendment) Bill 2076, Bill to amend Nepali Army Act 2063, Bill on Marijuana (Ganja) Farming (Management) Act, 2020, Act Made to Amend and Consolidate Customs Laws, Bill to amend Competition Promotion and Market Protection Act, 2063, Bill for Amendment of Public Procurement Act 2063, a bill to make provisions regarding credit information, a bill to amend the Pokhara Institute of Health Sciences Act, 2072.
The bill to amend the Commission on Investigation of Disappeared Persons, Truth and Reconciliation, 2071 act was previously inactive but has resurfaced with the advent of the new parliament.
This bill is currently pending in the Law, Justice and Human Rights Committee. Nepal Special Service Bill, 2076, Policy Research Institute Bill, 2076, Nepal Civil Aviation Authority Bill, 2076, Nepal Air Service Authority Bill, 2076 are also inactive bills.
Similarly, four non-governmental bills concerning amendments to the Constitution of Nepal, submitted individually by parliamentarians, had previously remained inactive. The winter session commenced with the inaugural meeting of the new parliament on January 9, 2023.
