KATHMANDU, May 22: Budget session of parliament has begun from Sunday, seven days before the constitutional deadline to present the budget for the upcoming fiscal year in parliament. 

Article 119 of the Constitution has a mandatory provision on presenting annual budget in the parliament on Jestha 15 (29 May). Speaker Onsari Gharti has scheduled pre-budget discussion, in priority areas of the budget on Tuesday and policy and program of the government will be introduced in parliament on Thursday.
 
Reading out a letter from the President's Office at Monday's parliament meeting, Speaker Gharti officially commenced the budget session, which will hold deliberations and endorse government's policy and program and the annual budget for the fiscal year 2017/18 and regular bills. 

The budget session is also expected to elect a new prime minister, if the incumbent prime minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal resigns as per the understanding with the coalition partner Nepali Congress (NC) this week. 

The government is also planning to put the much-talked about constitution amendment bill to a vote during the session, which is expected to pave the way for the agitating Madhes-based political parties on board the second phase of the local polls scheduled for June 14.

 
• house meeting
 
• third session of parliament