Bills stalled in parliament being moved forward

KATHMANDU, JULY 6: The House of Representatives has made preparations to pass the bills that have been stalled in the House one after another following the passing of the budget for the Fiscal Year 2079/80 BS. The meeting of the House of Representatives on Wednesday has set an agenda to pass three bills.

According to the Parliament Secretariat, there is an agenda to pass the Criminal Offenses and Criminal Procedure Bill, 2079 BS, Social Security (First Amendment) Bill, 2079 BS, Acid and Other Hazardous Chemicals (Regulation) Bill, 2079 BS.

The House of Representatives on Tuesday passed the Madan Bhandari University of Science and Technology Bill. There are more than 55 bills stalled in the House of Representatives and the National Assembly. The National Assembly passed the Drug (Third Amendment) Bill 2079, Health Workers and Health Institutions Security (First Amendment) Bill 2079 and Railway Bill 2079 on July 1.

The House of Representatives will hold a theoretical discussion on the Railway Bill 2079, Drug (Third Amendment) Bill, 2079, Health Workers and Health Institutions Security (First Amendment) Bill, 2079 on Wednesday in the process of advancing the bills passed by the National Assembly.

Two significant bills sent to the parliamentary committee by the House of Representatives to amend some acts against sexual violence and a bill to amend the Nepal Police and Province Police (Operational Supervision and Coordination) Act 2076 are being discussed. The committee is expected to finalize these two bills soon.

The bill, which seeks to amend some anti-sexual violence laws, provides for increased punishment for rape, reconciliation for such offenses, compensation and rehabilitation for victims, and punishment for those who lodge false complaints. In the same bill, women members of parliament have registered an amendment proposal to keep the provision of no time limit in the cases of rape.

The bill is being discussed in the Law, Justice and Human Rights Committee. During the discussion on Tuesday, psychologist Karuna Kunwar said that the same symptoms that appear at the time of rape are likely to continue for the next 20 years and the culprits need to be strictly punished. She said that since the victims of violence have both physical and mental symptoms, the law should be made addressing these aspects.

Discussion is underway on the bill to amend the Nepal Police and Province Police (Operational Supervision and Coordination) Act 2076 at the meeting of the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee. The government has brought the bill with the provision that the responsibility of maintaining the security system in the Kathmandu Valley should be given to the federal police due to high security sensitivity of the Valley.

The government argues that the security of the Valley should be handed over to the federal police keeping in mind the security sensitivities of the capital and not to curtail the powers of the provincial police. "Some policy decisions related to security should be kept confidential and security sensitivities of the Valley should be taken seriously," Home Minister Bal Krishna Khand said at a meeting on Tuesday.