KATHMANDU, July 23: Speakers and deputy speakers of the Federal Parliament and provincial assemblies have pledged to contribute more for making the operations of parliamentary affairs more transparent, pro-people, effective and accountable.
A two-day gathering attended by the speaker of House of Representatives (HoR), National Assembly (NA) chair, HoR deputy-speaker, NA vice-chairperson, and speakers and deputy-speakers of provincial assemblies held in Chandragiri of Kathmandu has issued a 12-point conclusion on Sunday.
They have agreed to discourage the atmosphere that permits ripple effects of any political change in the federal parliament and provincial assemblies (PAs). As stated in the conclusion paper, there is a unanimous agreement on creating an atmosphere that safeguards the parliament from undue influence or interference from the central government.
The meeting agreed to go through needs assessments and feasibility studies as part of the law formulation process, with the aim of enhancing the effectiveness of implementation. The participants emphasized the importance of making parliamentary research and studies on the implementation status of laws more results-oriented.
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The meeting has decided to form a parliamentary mechanism under the leadership of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives for the implementation of women's rights provided for in the Constitution and for women empowerment. The mechanism will have the National Assembly Vice-chair and the Deputy Speaker of the Province Assembly as members.
They also agreed to take initiatives for expanding the workload of the Deputy Speaker. The gathering concluded that the Province Assembly shall be made further effective through legislation by identifying and prioritizing the required laws for strengthening the federal democratic system of government.
They also agreed to draw the attention of the government to rethink about the order of precedence of the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker of the Province Assembly in consonance with the spirit of federalism.
The gathering emphasized on the need of setting up its own data center and other infrastructures to make the Assembly and Secretariat technology-friendly and making it paperless.
The conclave also decided to give priority to the topic of encouraging exchange of study visits, experience sharing among the members and employees of the Federal Parliament and the Province Assembly for enhancing their capacity and professionalism.
During the meeting organized by the Federal Parliament, Speaker Devraj Ghimire said the media has an important role in disseminating information about the Parliament and the parliamentary activities and making the people well-informed on these matters.
National Assembly Chairman Ganesh Prasad Timilsina said all should internalize that the center should not interfere in the autonomy of the provinces.
(RSS)
