Kathmandu: In today’s National Assembly meeting, lawmakers raised their concerns over various pressing issues including climate change, natural disasters, and the need for inclusive governance. During a special hour, Narayan Datta Bhatta of the Nepali Congress emphasized that despite differing political ideologies, all parties share common goals: public service, national interest, and unity. He urged the government to address the growing crisis caused by landslides in the hills and floods in the Terai, which are severely affecting daily life. Bhatta also expressed concern over what he termed “unnecessary meddling” regarding the ‘cooling-off’ provision in the Federal Civil Service Bill.
According to National News Agency Nepal, Renu Chand of the CPN (Maoist Centre) questioned the delay in tabling the Integrated Election Management Bill and criticized the lack of priority given to the Social Network Bill and the School Education Bill. She advocated for a mandatory 33% candidacy provision for women in elections, emphasizing that women have contributed equally to movements securing citizens’ rights but still struggle for equal representation and rights.
Madan Kumari Shah (Garima) of the CPN (Unified Socialist) highlighted Nepal’s growing vulnerability to climate change, citing recent disasters such as flooding in Rasuwa, destruction in Dolpa, drought in the Madhesh, and the resulting food crisis as direct consequences. She urged the government to implement comprehensive programmes involving active participation from youth and women, asserting that a move towards a disaster-resilient and climate-responsive governance system is essential.
Similarly, Mohammad Khalid noted that the consensus on political stability, good governance, prosperity, and constitutional amendment reached during the formation of the present coalition government remains unfulfilled. Despite a year of the government’s tenure, there has been no increase in employment, no significant progress in agricultural production, and public debt continues to rise. He raised the issue of the lack of rain in Madhesh, leading to an extreme scarcity of irrigation and drinking water for monsoon crops due to the drought.
Lawmakers Tula Prasad Bishwakarma, Rajendra Laxmi Gaire, Urmila Aryal, Gopal Bhattarai, and Padam Bahadur Pariyar also voiced their concerns on several public issues, urging the government to address these pressing matters.