National Assembly – Special Hour discussions

Kathmandu, May 10 (RSS): Lawmakers, speaking in the Special Hour at the meeting of the National Assembly, the upper house of the Federal Parliament, today, spoke on a host of issues including the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit, the Civil Service Act, the Indigenous Nationalities Act and some problems seen at the Nepal-India border area.
The meeting started at 10.22 am, 22 minutes behind schedule.
Lawmaker Udaya Sharma Poudel urged the government to bring the Federal Civil Service Act and suggested assigning the employees to work at the local and province level promoting them one level to motivate them as they have extended cooperation whenever the state was in difficulty.
She demanded that the government inform the parliament regarding the topic that the Indian Army has come to Nepal in connection with the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit here.
Bindadevi Rana suggested to the government to raise the issue of encroachment of the border by India and to make public the work progress so far of the Nepal-India Eminent Persons’ Group, during the Indian PM’s State Visit.
The government should inform the House what topics were talked during the one-to-one meeting said to have taken place between the Indian PM and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli when the latter visited India.
Youtol Tamang drew the government’s attention to make the Indigenous Nationalities Commission effective and to bring action plan for the development of the remote areas.
Tara Devi Bhatta said that the Indian security force was eying the Pyaratal of Kanchanpur district with the intention of capturing the area. She accused the Indian side of looting the crops grown by Nepali farmers on the Nepal side of the border and intimidating them, drawing the government’s attention to this high-handedness of the Indian side.
Opposition lawmakers slam principles and priorities of Appropriation Bill as rudderless
The main opposition Nepali Congress lawmakers speaking in the Special Hour criticised the priorities and principles of the Appropriation Bill, which they said have come as the policies and programmes of the government, as directionless.
Jitendra Narayan Dev said that the principles of the Bill were not strong enough but flippant, the choice of words in it lacked seriousness and it looked like that the budget was not going to be inclusive and progressive.
He said topics like balanced development, poverty reduction, import substitution and export promotion, building a socialist economic system, making the public and private sectors as partners of development, promotion of progressive economy and linking remittances to productivity were some positive aspects of the Appropriation Bill.
Dhana Khatiwada demanded the government bring the concept of satellite city for the rapid and scientific development of the country.
Bina Pokhrel said the Appropriation Bill has not given due emphasis on industrialisation and commercialisation of agriculture and exploitation of mineral resources.
Likewise, Ram Chandra Rai, Prakash Panta, Ramesh Prasad Yadav, Dil Kumari Rawal, Kamala Oli, Khim Kumar Bishwakarma and Bimala Rai stressed the need of reducing corruption, promoting employment and consolidating the social security, Chure conservation, using remittance on productive sector, promoting national capital, building a self-sufficient economy and modernisation of agriculture, and focusing on women and children’s issues.
The National Assembly will next meet at 11 am on May 13.
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