NGO-sponsored meals kill House committee’s appetite for deliberations

Ex-minister Ramesh Nath Pandey calls for ending the influence of external elements in lawmaking.

Should non-governmental organisations be allowed in legislative committee deliberations? This age-old question has divided experts and legislators. While NGOs have long been active in Nepal’s lawmaking process, controversy flared anew when NGO representatives were found attending Sunday’s session of the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee of Parliament without the knowledge of many lawmakers.