The Joint Committee on the Disputed Sections of the Cooperatives and Farmer Groups Bill of Bhutan, 2025 held its first meeting today to elect its Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson.

The Committee unanimously elected Hon’ble Harka Singh Tamang, Member of the National Assembly from Gelephu Constituency, as the Chairperson and Hon’ble Tshering Wangchen, Member of the National Council from Mongar Dzongkhag as the Deputy Chairperson.

Following the election, the Committee held preliminary discussions on the disputed provisions of the Bill and outlined its approach for the review process.

The Joint Committee was constituted pursuant to Section 384 of the Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly, which states: “Pursuant to the Constitution, a joint committee(s) of Parliament shall be established from time to time in order to review and resolve disputes between the two Houses on any Bill.”

The Committee comprises twelve members, with seven members from the National Assembly and five members from the National Council. It has been entrusted with reviewing and resolving the disputed provisions relating to the proposed amendments to the Cooperatives and Farmer Groups Bill of Bhutan, 2025, with the objective of facilitating consensus between the two Houses of Parliament.