House Must Deliver

The budget session of the Federal Parliament commenced on Friday. In his address to the House of Representatives (HoR) on the first day, Speaker Devraj Ghimire called for collective efforts in enacting laws to address public dissatisfaction caused by delays in framing laws in line with the new constitution. He also urged lawmakers to work together to finalise the pending bills like the School Education Bill and the Federal Civil Service Bill.  One glaring problem caused by the absence of laws is seen in the functioning of the provinces. The dillydallying in formulating laws crucial for the optimal functioning of provinces has undermined the autonomy of the provinces, among many other problems. 

Likewise, Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) and Finance Minister (FM) Bishnu Prasad Paudel emphasised the need to mobilise alternative development financing to ensure long-term investment in sustainable economic growth and infrastructure projects. Presenting the conceptual framework of the Alternative Development Finance Mobilisation Bill, the DPM said that the bill aims to address the current shortage of financial resources and to mobilise funds towards those goals. 

The FM also explained that the bill encourages provisions for the identification and prioritisation of infrastructure sectors, mobilisation of internal resources and foreign investments, the appropriate use of financial instruments, institutional frameworks, and mechanisms for monitoring and evaluation of projects by providing a legal foundation for such efforts. No doubt, the bill seems promising. Before it sails through the parliament, elaborate discussions on its viability should be done to figure out how the massive shortfall (amounting to trillions of rupees) in funding to execute the projects will be covered. 

Also speaking in the parliament, UML Secretary Gokarna Raj Bista urged the session to focus on fulfilling citizens' aspirations for development and prosperity, stressing that political parties and the government must work together to address public dissatisfaction. In light of the recent violent protests by the royalists and the subsequent teachers' protests, as well as intermittent protests by health professionals, it has become imperative to allay the frustrations seen in some quarters of the population without delay.     

What's more, some lawmakers raised the issue of political instability and lack of coordination between government bodies, which they claim has left citizens deprived of their constitutional rights, while others pointed to the need for investment in high-return infrastructure projects. Still others highlighted the need for a budget that addresses the country's economic challenges, such as the ballooning trade deficit, reliance on foreign employment, and weakness in the education and health systems. In addition, calls for the government to expedite the reconstruction work in areas affected by last year's earthquakes, as well as to pass the long-pending bills related to federalism, were also made. 

But to our surprise, nothing was done about the School Education Bill, the passing of which has been one of the major demands of the protesting teachers. If the government is to address the legitimate demands of the teachers, it needs to show it is ready to engage with them in a way that makes them feel it is serious about addressing their legitimate demands. Given the gravity of the issues lawmakers raised and discussed in the parliament, it becomes abundantly clear that federalism in the country is still in progress, though much has been done in line with the aspirations of the people.