National Assembly Approves Public Procurement (Second Amendment) Ordinance, 2083

Kathmandu. The National Assembly, under the Federal Parliament, has approved the 'Public Procurement (Second Amendment) Ordinance, 2083' by a majority. The ordinance, presented by Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sobita Gautam in the meeting of the National Assembly held on Friday, was approved by the assembly. Responding to queries raised in the assembly regarding the ordinance, Minister Gautam clarified that the government had to resort to the ordinance route to untangle legal knots in development works and to accelerate infrastructure construction. Minister Gautam stated that although the ministry is preparing to bring a new bill by fully reviewing the Public Procurement Act, this ordinance is indispensable to resolve immediate obstacles. She also expressed commitment that reasonable demands and amendment issues raised by the members of parliament while bringing the replacement bill will be discussed in depth and a decision will be taken in favor of national interest. Discussing the pace of development and legal obstacles, Minister Gautam said, 'The government can bring an ordinance in accordance with Article 114 of the Constitution of Nepal when the parliamentary session is not in session. This step has been taken to address public complaints that development works are being delayed due to the Public Procurement Act. Delay is also corruption. While neighboring countries have made significant leaps in their economies, we have not been able to gain momentum despite being in a strategically important location. It is now necessary to make the procurement process practical by making proper use of time and resources.' Arguing that delays in work should be considered a form of corruption, Minister Gautam said that the government is working to create an environment for timely completion of projects. In the meeting, the proposal to reject the ordinance was rejected by a majority. Immediately thereafter, the assembly passed the proposal presented by Minister Gautam to approve the ordinance by a majority.