Kathmandu. The government has sent the draft of laws to the federal parliament for the upcoming fiscal year 2083/084 BS.

Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Sobita Gautam, on Wednesday handed over the draft list and work schedule to Speaker Dol Prasad Aryal and National Assembly Chair Narayan Dahal.

As per the Legislation Act, 2081 BS, the Ministry of Law has to send the list of bills to be tabled in the parliament next year along with the annual legislative schedule to the Federal Parliament by mid-July.

Clause 3 of the Act states that the concerned ministry should identify the bills to be formulated in the coming fiscal year and send it to the Ministry of Law by setting out the priorities of the bill within the month of June every year. Similarly, the Law Ministry should determine the priority of the bills to be tabled in the Federal Parliament on the basis of the details received from the ministries concerned and determine the annual work schedule.

Accordingly, Minister Gautam has prepared an integrated report of the priorities of the bill to be presented in the Federal Parliament and sent it to the Parliament. “As per the provision that the Ministry of Law and Parliamentary Affairs should send the annual schedule to the Federal Parliament by mid-July, the Ministry held discussions with the concerned ministries on July 7 and 25,” the Ministry said, adding that the number of bills to be tabled in the Federal Parliament for the fiscal year 2008/084 has been reduced to 166. There are 97 new bills and 69 amendment bills.

On the occasion, Minister Gautam said that policy-level reform was in the government’s priority for ease of service delivery. He said the government has accorded top priority to the law-making by realizing the fact that policy-level reform was necessary for good governance, easy service delivery and prosperity. She said she expected the parliament to support the government in the policy reform agenda.

Minister Gautam called the ministers and secretaries of all the ministries including the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers to the Ministry of Law and Law, and held a phase-wise discussion to prepare the list of bills. “We have made a preparation for the government regarding the number of laws to be formulated in the coming fiscal year as per the Legislation Act.

According to the Ministry of Law, the number of bills in first priority is 64, the second priority bills are 45 and the third priority bills are 57.

According to the ministry, 15 from the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, 15 from the Ministry of Finance, four from the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies, four from the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, 17 from the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, 13 from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forest and Environment, 11 from the Ministry of Home Affairs, four from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 16 from the Ministry of Infrastructure Development, 8 from the Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives, Federal Affairs and General Administration. According to the bills, the Ministry of Women, Children, Gender and Sexual Minorities and Social Security will introduce seven bills, the Ministry of Youth, Labour and Employment 5, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation 4, the Ministry of Education and Sports 9, the Ministry of Information and Communications 6, the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation 11 and the Ministry of Health and Food Hygiene 16 bills will be tabled in the parliament in the next fiscal year.

The Ministry has also clarified that if there is a need to immediately formulate a draft of a bill on any subject other than those mentioned above, it can prepare a draft of such a bill and submit it to the Federal Parliament stating the purpose and reasons as per the provision in Section 3 (5) of the Legislation Act, 2081.