His Majesty The King graced the closing ceremony of the 9th session of the second Parliament at Gyalyong Tshogkhang today.
The Speaker of the National Assembly and the National Council’s Chairperson received His Majesty at the entrance of the Parliament building.
At the closing session, Speaker Jigme Zangpo thanked His Majesty The King for the peace and tranquility that the people and the country enjoy under His Majesty The King’s reign.
During the session, the National Assembly passed the revised budget of Nu 59bn for the fiscal year 2016-17, the annual budget of almost Nu 61bn for the fiscal year 2017-18 and Fiscal Incentives Bill 2017 among others.
“The National Assembly extensively deliberated on the Bhutan Information, Communications & Media Bill, Anti Money Laundering & Countering Financing of Terrorism Bill and Multilateral Framework Agreement for Establishment of Think Tank for Landlocked Developing Countries,” said Speaker Jigme Zangpo, adding that the bills have now been forwarded to the National Council and hoping for endorsement in the next sitting.
The Parliament, however, deferred the discussion on the Motor Vehicles Agreement for Regulation of Passenger, Personal and Cargo Vehicular Traffic between Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and Nepal (BBIN MVA) to the next session.
The two houses of the Parliament could not come to a consensus regarding the agreement this time.
Meanwhile, the National Council endorsed the review reports on Cultural Heritage and the annual report of the Anti-Corruption Commission, adopted recommendations on the Third Pay Revision Bill 2017 and, Budget and Appropriation Bill 2017 among others.
The 9th session of Parliament ended with the Members of the Parliament offering Tashi Moenlam to His Majesty The King.
