According to multiple sources, the Home Ministry has expedited homework on the matter following pressure from fringe parties. “We will try to provide vehicles to top leaders of all the parties. If that is not possible, they will be given an allowance,” said a source at the Parliament Secretariat. Smaller parties are pressing the government to take a decision soon. There are a total of 30 parties in the CA.

As per the existing provisions, only Parliamentary Party leaders of the ruling and opposition parties get state vehicles. The Cabinet will have to take a decision to provide the facility to other lawmakers.

In the previous CA, the Madhav Kumar Nepal-led government had provided vehicles to all the top leaders of the parties, including those having only one seat in the CA.

Besides, lawmakers are also demanding an increment in the salary saying it is insufficient. Lawmakers say they get around Rs 40,000 and they have to pay Rs 10,000 to their party in levy. They argue that Rs 5,000 provided to them as residence allowance is not enough.

Govt to address female lawmakers’ concerns

Addressing the House on Wednesday, Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Bam Dev Gautam said the government is ready to address the female lawmakers’ demand for a joint residence. On Tuesday, female lawmakers had demanded such arrangement saying that their security is vulnerable. “We will address the demand in the budget,” Gautam said without giving any details. The government’s recently announced policies and programmes, however, do not include construction of residence for lawmakers. Building such residence is a pending task since 1990.