Three weeks after prorogation of the winter session of the federal parliament, the President on Thursday called a new session starting next week.

President Ramchandra Paudel summoned the budget session starting May 10 on the government’s recommendation, according to the President’s Office. The winter session of Parliament was prorogued on April 14 amid the opposition Nepali Congress’s demand to constitute a parliamentary committee to probe Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Rabi Lamichhane’s alleged involvement in a case of cooperatives fraud.

Talking to journalists in Parbat, his home district, on Thursday, Padam Giri, minister for law, justice and parliamentary affairs, claimed that the government wants to make the upcoming session productive. He said the bills under discussion in various parliamentary committees will be finalised soon and presented at the House meeting for endorsement.

“Though the upcoming one is a budget session, efforts will be made to endorse as many bills as possible. There are several bills related to full-fledged implementation of the constitution,” he said.

The government had made similar claims at the beginning of the winter session as well. However, only three bills were endorsed from the session that lasted nearly three months. President Paudel has already authenticated the bill to manage monitoring and evaluation of development policies, programmes and plans, while anti-money laundering, and food purity and quality bills await his seal.

The disruption in the House proceeding by the Congress to pressure the government and ruling parties to constitute the probe committee too was largely responsible for the unproductive secession.

As the opposition and ruling parties still remain divided over the formation of the parliamentary probe panel, it is unlikely that Parliament will function smoothly. “The investigation committee must probe Lamichhane’s involvement in the fraud. There are several proofs to support his involvement,” Min Bishwakarma, head of the publicity department of the Nepali Congress, said. “We have not backtracked on our demand.”

As many as 24 bills are under consideration of the House of Representatives and the National Assembly and their committees, as per the records at the Parliament Secretariat. Of them, two are in the final stage of endorsement. The bill to amend the Enforced Disappearances Enquiry, Truth and Reconciliation Commission Act and the school education bill, are among the priority bills for the Pushpa Kamal Dahal administration in the upcoming session as well along with the bills related to the national budget.

Unlike the previous years, pre-budget discussions have been over in the winter session itself. The government issued an ordinance to clear the legal hurdles to hold pre-budget deliberations before the budget session to allow ample time for budget preparation incorporating the suggestions from lawmakers.

Jestha 15 (May 28 this year) is the constitutional date for unveiling the government’s policies and programmes. Last year, the winter session was prorogued on April 28 and the budget session began on May 7. The President will present the government’s policies and programmes, followed by discussions and answers from the prime minister. The discussion and endorsement takes around two weeks if done properly.

The policies and programmes are read out by the President to a joint sitting of the House and the Assembly. The government will present the national budget for the upcoming fiscal on May 28 after endorsing the policies and programmes.