HoR session: PM Oli defends ordinances

Kathmandu, January 31 — Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has stated that the government had to issue ordinances due to delays in obtaining national goals when the Parliament is not in session.

Addressing the House of Representatives (HoR) session that began on Friday, he explained that, at times, political calculations and the stalling of parliamentary processes resulted in people's issues being sidelined.

He clarified that ordinances are issued when Parliament is not functioning. "Ordinances are introduced only when Parliament is not operating," the Prime Minister explained.

He outlined that amendments to 29 laws, including those related to economic and business environments, governance, public services, land, forests, financial responsibility, privatization, and cooperatives, were made through ordinances. 

He added that these legal amendments would bring about "unprecedented reforms in governance and business environments," aiming to eliminate bureaucratic delays in government offices that hinder public service. The Prime Minister also stated that a legal provision was now in place requiring that all work, except for those with legal deadlines, be completed within 7 days.

He emphasized that the environment for Nepali IT companies to compete internationally had been created, with provisions for Nepali companies to open subsidiaries and branches abroad and bring foreign earnings back to Nepal. 

The Prime Minister also mentioned that irrelevant consumer protection laws had been repealed, and new regulations ensured that market prices would be determined through competition, thus removing unnecessary fears from entrepreneurs. At the same time, consumer protection had been further strengthened.

In his address, the Prime Minister also highlighted that a system had been established where government officials must decide on industrial registration applications within 15 days, or the application would automatically be approved. He further added that unnecessary complications for entrepreneurs in shutting down businesses would now be eliminated.

Regarding the issue of cooperative fraud, as pointed out by the Parliamentary Committee, he mentioned that amendments to the existing cooperative laws would help establish a National Cooperative Regulatory Authority for safeguarding savings.

He concluded by saying that the list of achievements from these ordinances is extensive and emphasized that the special features of these changes had already been widely discussed in society.