Kathmandu, August 17
Prime Minister Balen Shah will face lawmakers’ questions during a direct question-and-answer session in the House of Representatives on August 26.
Speaker Dol Prasad Aryal has scheduled the session in accordance with Rule 56 of the House of Representatives Regulations.
Rule 56 requires the Speaker to allocate the first hour of a meeting during the first week of every month for questions directly related to the prime minister or matters under the prime minister’s jurisdiction.
The rule also states that if the House cannot meet on the scheduled day for any reason, the session should be held during the first hour of the immediately following meeting.
The provision has not been implemented regularly, prompting questions over the delay in holding direct question-and-answer sessions with the prime minister. The Speaker has now fixed a date for the programme.
Under Rule 57, the question-and-answer session may be broadcast live through government and other media outlets.
Lawmakers wishing to question the prime minister must submit written information about the subject of their questions to the Speaker at least three days before the meeting, as stipulated by Rule 58.
The Speaker will determine whether submitted questions are admissible, while other procedures for the session will be determined by the Speaker under Rule 59.
Rule 60 states that no discussion will be held in the House regarding answers provided by the prime minister under the direct question-and-answer provision.
