Government policies: Amendments of 91 points

Both the lower and upper houses in the Federal Parliament - the House of Representatives (HoR) and the National Assembly (NA) - have begun deliberations on the government policies and programmes for the upcoming fiscal year 2022-23 AD. President Bidya Devi Bhandari presented the new policies and programmes in a joint session of the Federal Parliament on Tuesday and the discussions will go for two days. The policies and programmes have been presented in 145 points and its copy consists of 65 pages.

The government has aspired to promote a collaborative approach among the three-tier government to catch a pace of economic development. In the policies and programmes, the government has announced to pursue economic growth and stability through the coordination of fiscal and monetary policies, to promote agriculture, transport, energy, and tourism and information technology as a means of achieving economic growth and to build a resilient economy through the implementation of special programmes of economic recovery.

Lawmakers of both houses who represent various political parties have floated amendment proposals over the policies and programmes. Six members in the HoR have sought amendments to 81 points and five members in the NA in 10 points. Hridayesh Tripathi, Sher Bahadur Tamang, Bheem Bahadur Rawal and Khagaraj Adhikari of the CPN ( UML), the major opposition are among the lower house members demanding amendments to the policies and programmes while Durga Poudel of Rastriya Janamorcha in the ruling alliance and Prem Suwal of Nepal Workers and Peasants’ Party have felt the need of revising the policies and programmes.

Tamang wants the government to add “the bill registered in the parliament as a non-government bill with a view of regulating and managing marijuana farming will be brought into discussions and endorsed” to the point number 23. Adhikari who sees the need of revising the policies and programmes wants the government assurance to remove foreign military forces from Limpiyadhura, Lipulek and Kalapani areas. NWPP’s Suwal demands the government to come up with a promise to take necessary diplomatic and legal measures for demolishing a barrage built by India going against the international laws while Poudel also urges the government to announce that it would advance towards clearing occupancy of Indian security forces from the Lipulek, Limpiyadhura and Kalapani areas.

Likewise, Dr Bimala Rai Poudel (nominated), Shekhar Kumar Singh of Loktantrik Samajbadi Party, and Bhagawati Neupane, Bhairab Sundar Shrestha and Bimala Ghimire of CPN (UML) in the upper house want the government to amend its policies and programmes for the new fiscal year. Declaration to establish an organic fertilizer factory on each province with a subsidy in organic fertilizer, withdrawal of a subsidy in chemical fertilizer and an increment on a subsidy in organic fertilizer, operation of the Ramraja Prasad Singh Academy of Health Sciences in Rajbiraj of Saptari are among those issues highlighted in the amendment proposals.