KATHMANDU, Sept 15: With the constitutional deadline for enacting the fundamental rights-related laws just five days away, the parliament has expedited the lawmaking process. The lower house of parliament endorsed seven bills on Friday alone in a bid to meet the constitutional deadline of September 19.

Out of the 15 new laws needed for the implementation of fundamental rights, the lower house forwarded seven bills to the upper house for its feedback Friday while the upper house in the past two days has forwarded three bills to the lower house for endorsement.

The seven bills endorsed by the lower house are related to the rights of consumers, right to residency, right to food, right to employment, right to public health, right to land, right to safe motherhood and reproductive health. Likewise, the bills forwarded by the upper house to the lower house are related to the right to clean environment, right of victims of crime, and rights of people with disabilities. The upper house is scheduled to forward a bill on the rights of children to the lower house on Saturday while lower house is scheduled to endorse right to privacy, right against untouchability and caste-based discrimination on the same day. 

The lower house is scheduled to endorse the remaining bills including those related to right against preventative detention, right to education and right to social security by Sunday. The bill on the rights of people with disabilities is set to become the first fundamental rights-related law to be endorsed by both the houses if everything goes as planned Saturday.

According to the parliamentary regulation lower house can amend any bills already endorsed by the upper house while the upper house can just send its feedback on bills endorsed by the lower house. 

September 19 marks the third anniversary of the promulgation of the constitution. Article 47 of the constitution has stated that ‘the state shall, as required, make legal provisions for the implementation of the rights conferred by this Part, within three years of the commencement of this Constitution.’

 
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