In a Facebook post on September 20, Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) lawmaker Sobha Khanal shared a screenshot of her 97 percent attendance rate in the House of Representatives, based on the figures available on the federal parliament’s new digital portal.

“Through digital technology, you can now track the activities of the parliamentarians you elected. You can now view bills, legal documents, parliamentary sessions, daily agendas, house proceedings, and archives directly online,” she wrote.

Social media user Chiranjibi Khatiwada later shared a similar screenshot from the same portal showing the nine MPs with the lowest attendance rates in the House of Representatives. His post showed Nepali Communist Party leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal with 17 percent attendance, Rastriya Swatantra Party chief Rabi Lamichhane with 50 percent, and Shram Sanskriti Party chief Harka Sampang with 55 percent.

The figures are available on www.digital.parliament.gov.np, a digital portal currently undergoing trial operation by the federal parliament—House of Representatives and National Assembly. The website allows the public to view lawmakers’ profiles and monitor parliamentary activities in real time.

Since testing began on September 16, the portal has already drawn over 100,000 visitors and received thousands of public suggestions for system refinements.

Addressing an orientation event marking the portal’s trial launch on September 16, Speaker of the House of Representatives DP Aryal stressed the need for institutional ownership to modernise parliamentary practices. “Parliament must adopt digital systems to remain transparent,” said Aryal. “Through this platform, researchers and citizens will be able to easily study Nepal’s parliamentary history even centuries from now.”

National Assembly chair Narayan Prasad Dahal described the initiative as a foundational step in the legislative body’s technological evolution. “Priority must be given to the digital archiving of historical documents, the deployment of artificial intelligence and cutting-edge technology, robust data security, and long-term preservation,” said Dahal.

The parliament secretariat has set up a nine-member committee led by Joint Secretary Bishal Sapkota to manage the transition and draft future operational strategies. Sapkota said dozens of civil servants and technical specialists are involved in building the infrastructure. Once fully deployed, the site will host live streams, audio recordings, video archives, and official paperwork from both houses and all 16 parliamentary committees.

“Biometric verification and Near Field Communication (NFC) identification details will be securely integrated into MP profiles,” the parliament secretariat said, adding that lawmakers’ attendance is recorded instantly via digital log-ins. 

While political parties have made session attendance mandatory for their members, cabinet ministers operate under different provisions. A notice on the portal clarifies that because at least one minister must be present for House business to proceed, ministers generally attend when matters related to their portfolio matters are on the agenda. This may reflect a lower overall attendance percentage on their individual profile pages.

Ekaram Giri, spokesperson of Parliamentary Secretariat, said that the platform consolidates several independent administrative and legislative software applications previously used by parliament.

Nepal’s parliament launched its first official website in 2013 and began broadcasting its sessions live on YouTube in 2015.

“This initiative aims to enhance parliamentary openness by bringing all legislative activities under a unified platform,” said Giri. “By digitising administrative, managerial, and legislative workflows, we are making information management more structured and secure. This will strengthen transparency, accountability, and operational efficiency across the institution.”

According to Giri, external technology experts contributed to the platform’s development, but all parliamentary data is hosted within the government’s Integrated Data Centre. Third-party access to confidential personal details of lawmakers remains strictly prohibited, he said.