PM Shah holds two-hour talks with 17 engineer-background MPs, seeks expertise-based input

Prime Minister Balendra Shah held a discussion lasting about two hours on Wednesday with 17 lawmakers who have an engineering background.

The discussion was held at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers in Singha Durbar from noon to 2:15 pm. Among the participants, all were Rastriya Swatantra Party lawmakers except Nepali Congress MP Mohan Acharya of Rasuwa. The office said lawmakers with such a background were not present in the CPN-UML or the Nepal Communist Party, so they were not invited.

At the outset, the lawmakers shared their views on the situation following the floods and landslides. One participating MP said PM Shah divided the lawmakers into three groups — "average," "below average" and "extraordinary" — based on their statements and expertise, placing engineers in the third group.

He urged them to put forward concrete ideas for industrialization, saying useful proposals could be coordinated directly with the Prime Minister's Office. He also stressed that the experience of engineer-lawmakers would be important in law-making.

According to RSP MP Dr Ram Lama, the discussion covered the forest-related act, legal reforms for development projects, and plans to increase electricity consumption. Dr Lama said the Prime Minister informed them that the government would soon call for proposals to set up a chemical fertilizer factory.

The Prime Minister also spoke of plans to provide necessary concessions for projects that raise electricity consumption. He further urged the lawmakers to focus more on long-term policy and new thinking rather than on political matters.