Nepal, Feb. 6 -- The winter session of the Federal Parliament commenced on Monday with some new commitments and initiatives. Giving his inaugural statement, Speaker Dev Raj Ghimire said he was mindful of the public criticism that the two previous sessions of the federal legislature were not productive in terms of law-making. This time, the parliament has introduced some new practices. A digital system of attendance has been started for lawmakers and their attendance record will be made public on the parliament's website. A short-term calendar of events has also been prepared for full House meetings.

These arrangements may help the legislature address some functional issues. Postponement of meetings due to lack of quorum has, over the yea...