Parliamentary inquiry into rising fuel prices has been proposed

A proposal of urgent public importance was tabled today in a House of Representatives (HoR) meeting, aiming to press the government to present a clear draft for lowering the prices of petroleum products.

As stated in the proposal, it was critical to press the government to come up with a clear draft to discourage fuel price increases.

The proposal, tabled by CPN (UML) chief whip Bishal Bhattarai, accuses the government of failing to pay attention to key economic indicators, resulting in skyrocketing food and consumer goods prices.

The government is accused of failing to take any measures to discourage inflation and of raising the prices of petroleum products such as cooking fuel, diesel, gasoline, and kerosene in violation of provisions for automated price adjustment of fuels.

As the proposal claimed,  the multi-dimensional impact of rising petroleum product prices had not been assessed, and the need for discussions with opposition and experts from relevant fields was ignored in order to assess price adjustment options.

"While Nepal's constitution guarantees citizens the right to live in dignity, price increases have made the livelihood of people with low and meager income difficult," the main opposition party adds. "So it is imperative to come up with a clear draft promptly for the reduction of the prices of petroleum products and thus to ensure the primary and most significant responsibility of the welfare State, which is to make the basic needs of the people addressed," the proposal states.

Yagya Raj Sunuwar, Ganesh Prasad Pahadi, and Rajendra Prasad Lingden are among the lawmakers who support the proposal.

During the debate over the proposal, lawmakers accused the government of promoting inflation immediately following the completion of local level elections rather than implementing any relief programs for citizens. "The decision to reduce the price of petrol by Rs 10 per litre on Thursday was insufficient," they said, adding that "a high-level parliamentary committee to deal with the issues is required." On May 23, the proposal was registered in Parliament.