Kathmandu, January 11:

The Constitution Drafting Recommendation Committee of the Nepali Congress is finally initiated groundwork to formulate party’s view on the issues to be specified in the new constitution.

The CDRC formally began its work today after opening a separate office in New Baneshwor, Kathmandu.

The CDRC will have a high-level steering committee, which comprises party president Girija Prasad Koirala, senior leader Sher Bahadur Deuba, office bearers of the party and some Constituent Assembly (CA) members.

“The steering committee will draft authentic view of the party after consolidating the ideas and advices collected by the CDRC,” said CDRC coordinator Chakra Prasad Bastola, adding,

“We initiated the work today by holding discussions with constitutional experts,” Bastola said. The CRDC, formed as per the recommendation of the central committee meeting of the NC held on September 7, has been entrusted with the responsibility of drafting party’s views on the matters related to drafting new constitution.

The CDRC will have two sub-committees — Coordination Committee and Sectoral Committee

— to handle the issues related to constitution drafting. The coordination committee, which includes Nepali Congress representatives from 14 CA committees, will coordinate between the respective CA committees and the CRDC.

The Sectoral Committee will have some more additional sub committees to sort out the issues of different sectors such as women, Dalits, ethnic and indigenous, Madhesi, minority groups, youths, business sector and local bodies.

The CDRC will use the ideas and advice of lawyers, academicians, political scientists, economists, sociologists, anthropologists, former bureaucrats, researchers, mediapersons and others, according to Bastola.

Holding discussions among constitutional experts and experienced hands on several matters, receiving suggestions from people and voters and educating them on the issues related to constitution, gathering information on international practices and ultimately drafting party’s authentic view will be the job of the CRDC, he added. “We have planned to train at least three persons for each electoral constituency to receive input from the people and to educate them on the matters related to statute drafting,” Bastola informed.

The CDRC will also give input to NC CA members on the matters related to the 14 CA committees, he said.