Kathmandu, June 21: Steps have been taken to provide autonomy to the Parliament Secretariat and further motivate the employees of its Secretariat in their work.
Responding to queries during question hour at the meeting of the House of Representatives today, Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Mahantha Thakur said that the bill in this regard had been forwarded to the Council of Ministers.
Existing laws for providing punishment for caste discrimination and untouchability and eliminating social segregation would be implemented effectively, Mr Thakur said.
Likewise, the existing law will be amended to make the legal services more effective and efficient, he added.
The Judicial Council cannot take action against the judges not attending the courts but the judges can participate in various conferences and programmes, he clarified.
Minister Thakur made it clear that orders issued in contravention to the existing rules and regulations stand nullified by itself.
Those asking verbal questions to him were MPs Ananda Prasad Pokharel, Som Prasad Pandey, Chandra Bahadur Shahi, Bir Bahadur Lama and Ganga Prasad Nepal.
Minister for Land Reforms and Management Siddha Raj Ojha, furnishing replies pertaining to questions related to his ministry, said that the work of converting guthi land into raikar is being carried out throughout the country if the tenants tilling the guthi land pays the minimum specified amount.
Stating that it was the view of the government to identify genuine landless squatters at Dalmir, Dudhauli, Harkhali, Sishauli, Nipani, Rajinas, Hatpate and other VDCs of Sindhuli district and provide them land for building houses through Landless Squatters Problems Resolution Commission, he said that landless squatters problems resolution district committees have also been constituted for this purpose.
If the flood victims of Sunderpur, Hadiya, Tapeswari, Beltari and other places of Udayapur district are proven to be landless squatters, they would be rehabilitated within three years as targeted, he said, adding that the work of converting guthi land into raikar land is underway throughout the country if the farmers cultivating guthi land pay the minimum amount specified by land revenue office.
In the context of gradually implementing the report of the high level Land Reforms Commission, land is being divided between the landlord and the tenant and reactions of various ministries were being sought and as approval had been received from the National Planning Commission under the concept of the land utilisation scheme, the ministry is of the view that this should be implemented gradually.
MPs Ganga Prasad Nepal, Tuka Raj Sigdel, Gokarna Raj Bista, Suresh Kumar Karki and Rajendra Prasad Lohani had posed questions to Mr Ojha.
Responding to queries pertaining to the Ministry of Health, Minister for Health Dr. Ram Baran Yadav said HMG is committed to providing basic health services to the people.
Dr. Yadav said that under the short-term programme, the Health Ministry was mobilising the available manpower to the maximum possible extent and skilled manpower would be developed under the long-term programme.
The Public Services Commission (PSC) is filling up the vacancies of doctors and paramedical workers, Minister Dr. Yadav said, adding that after the process is completed, the doctors and paramedicals would be sent in line with the number of posts.
Dr. Yadav said HMG is committed to weed out corruption from the country.
MPs Ramesh Lekhak, Prakash Jwala, Birodh Khatiwada and Suresh Kumar Karki had posed questions to Health Minister Dr. Yadav.