KATHMANDU: The Constitutional Committee (CC) today commenced general discussions on a report of the Constituent Assembly (CA) Committee on

Protection of the Rights of Minorities and Marginalised Communities.

The committee’s report was approved by the CA full House on Friday and subsequently sent it to the CC for further consideration.

A CC member Sapana Pradhan Malla said that her committee, which had remained idle without any business for a long time, started the debates to ensure minorities and marginalised communities’ rights and their privileges in the new constitution.

No constitution in

the past, including the

democratic one made

in 1990, did not address

the concerns of the

communities.

The CA full House has also approved the revised definitions of the minorities and marginalised communities prepared by a 15-member report study panel led by a CA member Agni Kharel.

Pradhan, however, said the CC did not take any final decision on it as the constitution-drafting panel needs all the thematic committees’ report before starting the first draft of the constitution.

The reports of the eight thematic committees have yet to be passed.

The CC members have maintained that the constitution-drafting process will not move ahead without having all the reports in place, especially the

reports on the forms of governance and federal structure, the structure

of the federal and provincial parliaments, the structure of judiciary and its

inter-relations with executive and legislature and the election system of

the federal and provincial parliaments.

Dr. Prakash Chandra Lohani, one of the CC members, said that even the first draft is impossible to come by May 28, the deadline set by the Interim Constitution, let alone finish its final draft.