Govt aims to register 166 bills in parliament: Minister Gautam

KATHMANDU: Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Sobita Gautam, has said that the current fiscal year will be declared as the ‘Year of Law Making and Reform’ and aims to register 166 bills in the Parliament.

Addressing the seminar on Law Reform for Investment and Development in preparation of Nepal Infrastructure Conference-2026 here today, Minister Gautam said that necessary laws formulation and reforms have been accelerated as per the policy priorities of the government.

She said, “The Ministry of Law has declared this fiscal year as the year of law making and reform. In which we register 166 bills in the parliament in this financial year. The journey of law making means that the government drafts government bills and registers them in the parliament, and the parliament passes them. We are aiming to prepare 166 bills and register them in the parliament. ’

According to her, since the beginning of the current fiscal year, about 54 bills have been approved by the cabinet. She informed that these bills are in the process of being registered in the parliament.

She said, “About 54 bills have been approved by the cabinet and are almost in the process of being registered in Parliament. This is a journey of reform in itself. ’

Minister Gautam said that it would be the responsibility of the parliament to draft the bill and register it in the parliament during the process of law-making. He said that the process of preparing 166 bills as per the government’s target and registering them in the parliament is underway.

Minister Gautam further said that works have been forwarded after identifying necessary legal reforms after the government made clear policy views on the future direction of development and the ministry-level reforms.

She said that the infrastructure sector should also take forward the process of law making and reform at a fast pace, keeping investment and development at the center. She described the workshop on law reform organized by the Ministry of Infrastructure as a positive start.

Minister Gautam was of the view that financial resources alone were not enough for a country to become economically prosperous, adding that right policy, capable institutions and effective structure were also necessary.

She said, “This journey of fast-moving law making is a positive beginning in itself for the Ministry of Infrastructure to organize a workshop on law reform with investment and development at the center. Will a country become rich by having money or will it become rich by having the right policies and the country’s structures and institutions? This is an important question. If we look at the examples of different countries of the world, we can see examples of countries becoming rich because of the right policies and the institutions in those countries that have done good work. ’

Referring to the examples of various countries in the world that have achieved economic development due to the right policy and effective functioning of capable institutions, she stressed the need of giving priority to policy and institutional reform to expedite Nepal’s development.