Federal Parliament Secretariat Bans Parliamentary Committees from Receiving NGO Sponsorship Without Permission

The Federal Parliament Secretariat has issued a directive prohibiting parliamentary committees from accepting any support or sponsorship from non-governmental agencies without prior official authorization. This measure follows an incident where the Committee for State Affairs and Good Governance of the House of Representatives (HoR) had to adjourn a meeting after NGO representatives attended with breakfast and lunch sponsored by their organization.

The Secretariat's notice, issued by General-Secretary Padma Prasad Pandey on Tuesday, emphasized the importance of this directive. It stated that the Secretariat, under the guidance of HoR Speaker Devraj Ghimire and National Assembly Chair Narayan Prasad Dahal, is taking this step to prevent undue influence on the lawmaking and decision-making processes.

The notice reiterated previous alerts about NGOs supporting parliamentary committees and organizing programs involving lawmakers without proper appraisal or permission, which has continued despite earlier warnings. The Secretariat once again urged all parliamentary committees and their secretaries to comply with this directive to maintain the integrity of the legislative process.