National Assembly Misses Deadline to Amend Finance Bill

Kathmandu. The National Assembly has missed the opportunity to provide suggestions on the Alternative Development Finance Bill. After failing to discuss and pass the bill in time as per the constitutional provision, the National Assembly has lost the opportunity to provide suggestions on the bill.

According to the constitution, finance-related bills are only registered in the House of Representatives, and any such bill passed by the House of Representatives must be returned to the House of Representatives within 15 days.

The Alternative Development Finance Bill was decided to be registered as a finance bill by the then Speaker of the House of Representatives, Devraj Ghimire. That bill was registered in the House of Representatives on Poush 18, 2082. After clause-wise discussion, the bill was passed by the House of Representatives on Jestha 7 and sent to the National Assembly. As per the constitutional provision, the bill was to be passed with suggestions and returned to the House of Representatives by the 22nd.

Article 111, Sub-section 2 of the Constitution states, 'A finance bill passed by the House of Representatives shall be sent to the National Assembly. The National Assembly shall discuss the bill and, within 15 days of receiving the bill, must return it to the House of Representatives with any suggestions.'

The constitution also provides that if the National Assembly does not return the bill with suggestions within the time stipulated in the constitution, the House of Representatives can proceed with it directly.

'If the National Assembly does not return the finance bill within 15 days of receiving it as per Sub-section (2), the House of Representatives may present it to the President for authentication,' reads Article 111, Sub-section 4 of the Constitution.

After the opposition parties obstructed the meeting for 3 consecutive days, the Chairman of the National Assembly, Narayan Prasad Dahal, postponed the National Assembly meeting until Tuesday, Jestha 25. The opposition parties, including the Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, and the Communist Party of Nepal, demanded that Prime Minister Balen Shah apologize for his statement made in the House of Representatives meeting on Jestha 17, claiming that Nepal had encroached upon India's border. They did not allow the agenda to be advanced in the meetings on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Following this, Chairman Dahal postponed the meeting until Jestha 26 at 1:15 PM.

To create an environment for passing the bill, the Chairman of the National Assembly, Dahal, also held discussions with Finance Minister Dr. Swarnim Wagle and the leaders of the parties in the National Assembly. Chairman Dahal stated in Wednesday's meeting that the dialogue did not bear fruit.

'I discussed with Finance Minister Dr. Swarnim Wagle and the leaders of the parties in the National Assembly regarding passing the bill. I also arranged for a separate discussion environment between the Finance Minister and the leaders of the parties in the National Assembly. I understood from your raising the issue here today that the discussions did not yield results,' Chairman Dahal said in Wednesday's meeting.

Chairman Dahal tried to persuade the opposition MPs by stating that if the bill was not advanced today, it would slip away from the National Assembly, and it would be deemed that the National Assembly had failed to function. However, the opposition party MPs did not agree.

'If we do not advance it today, this bill will slip away from us. Or it will be deemed that we have not done our job. This bill will not come back once it goes. It's gone once it leaves here,' Chairman Dahal had said.