Nepal’s federal Parliament budget session set for Baisakh 28

Kathmandu – The federal Parliament’s budget session has been called for Baisakh 28.

The Parliament Secretariat has announced that all necessary administrative preparations for the session are complete. According to Secretariat spokesperson Ekram Giri, preparations are underway to conduct the budget speech program from the new Parliament.

Although the construction of the new Parliament building is not yet complete, the construction team has informed that the House of Representatives’ chamber will be available by Jestha 15, spokesperson Giri stated.

Previously, the first session of Parliament was held temporarily in a multipurpose building.

The Secretariat has mentioned that seat management is not challenging, and internal arrangements will be made as soon as the flooring work is completed.

Spokesperson Giri said, “The scaffolding of the new building’s exterior structure has been removed. Currently, the work on interior decoration and technical aspects is pending. The construction team has verbally informed us that the House of Representatives’ hall will be available by Jestha 15, so we expect to hold the joint session in the new hall.”

As per constitutional provisions, the budget for the upcoming fiscal year must be presented in the federal Parliament on Jestha 15 each year. The government will present the budget for the fiscal year 2082/83.

Since this is a budget session, the government’s policies and programs and the budget for the upcoming fiscal year will be the main agenda. The meeting will discuss the principles and priorities of the Appropriation Bill (pre-budget).

Following this, the government’s policies and programs will be presented in a joint session of the federal Parliament by the President, as per constitutional provisions.

Additionally, the session will prioritize the Appropriation Bill, the Finance Bill, and the Bill to Raise National Debt. Other bills and ordinances related to the budget will also be advanced as needed, spokesperson Giri informed.

There is a constitutional obligation to convert ordinances presented in the first meeting of the session into law through replacement bills within 60 days. If the replacement bills are not passed within this period, the ordinances will automatically become inactive.

According to the Secretariat, the House of Representatives is currently considering three bills received from the National Assembly, along with a bill related to alternative financial management. Similarly, the National Assembly’s agenda includes a bill related to intangible assets and reports from various constitutional bodies. The report of the Rules Drafting Committee is also part of this session’s agenda, spokesperson Giri mentioned.