Kathmandu: The deliberation on the Nepali Citizenship (Second Amendment) Bill, 2081 in the House of Representatives has been postponed due to the lack of a quorum. On Sunday, Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak had presented a proposal for general discussion on the Nepali Citizenship (Second Amendment) Bill, 2081.
The proposal to present the Nepali Citizenship (Second Amendment) Bill, 2081 for deliberation was made by National Independent Party member Nisha Dangi as it was found that the quorum was not met. She urged the Speaker, Devraj Ghimire, to conduct a headcount to ascertain the lack of the required number of members present.
Speaker Ghimire rang the bell for a three-minute headcount to verify the quorum, directing the Secretariat to take action. As the quorum required for presenting the proposal for deliberation is 69, and with only 68 members present, the lack of quorum was announced, leading to the removal of the remaining agenda items from today’s schedule.
During the meeting, Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak had listed the proposal to present the Nepali Citizenship (Second Amendment) Bill, 2081 for deliberation. According to Article 94 of Nepal’s Constitution, any question or proposal to be presented for deliberation requires the presence of at least one-fourth of the members of the House of Representatives.
Another session of the House of Representatives is scheduled for the afternoon of February 17.
Opinion from Ramesh Khatri, representative of Kansai Nepal News: Ramesh Khatri noted that the lack of quorum leading to the postponement of the discussion on the Nepali Citizenship (Second Amendment) Bill, 2081 reflects a concerning trend of absenteeism among lawmakers. He emphasized the importance of parliamentary attendance in ensuring the smooth functioning of legislative processes and urged members to prioritize their responsibilities towards the nation.
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Author: MAYA | HARUTO
Posted at: February 17, 2025 12:00 am
