Kathmandu, October 4:

The parliamentary State Affairs Committee (SAC) is preparing to hold discussions on some important Bills, including the Citizenship Bill 2063 immediately after dashain.

“We will hold discussions on some important Bills including the Citizenship Bill immediately after the Parliament Secretariat opens after dashain,” said the SAC secretary Mukuda Sharma. Though certain sections of people have been opposing the idea of passing the Citizenship Bill before the promulgation of the proposed Interim Constitution, the government and the House are doing preparations to bring it as soon as possible.

Though the regular business of the House will be held again on October 11, the House committees are likely to resume their discussion before that date.

Some lawmakers have opposed the government’s idea of tabling the Bill without scrapping Article 8 and 9 of the 1990 Constitution. Stating that the citizenship problem will be sorted out only by amending the existing provisions, Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula had tabled the Citizenship Bill 2063.

The Bill tabled in the House of Representative has provisions of issuing citizenship certificates in the name of mother and other easy ways.

Tabling the Bill on September 28, Sitaula had sought clause-wise discussion on it.

The Minister for Physical Planning and Construction Gopal Man Shrestha had recently tabled the Drinking Water Management Board Bill 2063, Drinking Water Price Determination Commission Formation Bill 2063 and Health Service Bill 2063.

Minister for Education and Sports Dr Mangal Siddhi Manandhar had tabled a proposal seeking discussion on Acts related to Education and Sports Amendment Bill. Finance Minister Dr Ram Sharan Mahat had proposed a separate Bill on the Nepal Rastra Bank (first amendment) Bill 2063 on which the Finance Committee of House will hold discussions soon.

Twenty bills have been tabled in the House of Representative in the past five months after its revival by the King on April 24.