Nepal budget session prorogued

Kathmandu, Jan 20 (ANI): The first budget session of Nepal Legislature-Parliament ended, marking a 34-day delay in the Constituent Assembly calendar.

According to the calendar of events passed by the Constituent Assembly on November 14 2008, the budget session was scheduled to close by mid-December to allow lawmakers to focus on drafting the constitution.

The protracted session can be attributed to the long boycotts and differences between the Nepali Congress (NC), which stayed out of the House for two weeks demanding Maoist commitment to return seized properties.

After the government was ready to give in to Nepali Congress's demands, the fringe parties obstructed the House demanding that the government increase scholarship quota for Dalits and other backward communities in the bill presented by the government to amend the scholarship Act.

Kantipur quoted speaker Subas Nembang as saying that the budget session lasted 147 days in which parliamentarians spent 150 hours and 52 minutes attending 47 meetings held on 45 days.

"Among the 12 bills tabled by the government, the parliament cleared seven in this session. Four bills are under consideration at the legislature committee and a bill to amend the Electoral Rolls Act has been withdrawn by the government," he added.

The government has planned to introduce an ordinance to clear the deck for the Election Commission to update electoral rolls in six election constituencies where it will be holding by-elections on April 10. (ANI)