KATHMANDU, July 4: Even as the government moves to reduce the number of permanent secretaries in the civil service, ministers have begun appointing secretary-rank advisers under newly approved Cabinet guidelines, paving the way for up to 57 secretary-level political appointees across ministries.
The appointments follow the Cabinet's approval of the Guidelines on Ministers' Advisers and Secretariat Management, 2026, which allow ministers to recruit senior advisers from outside the civil service. Depending on the ministry, each minister may appoint between three and five advisers, although only one adviser will be entitled to the salary, allowances and other benefits equivalent to those of a government secretary.
Minister for Infrastructure Development Sunil Lamsal has already appointed Santosh Pandey as his secretary-rank adviser. According to a senior ministry official, Pandey is receiving the same salary, allowances and facilities as a government secretary, including an official vehicle, fuel, office space and support staff. Government secretaries are also expected to receive a salary of around Rs 90,000 per month from mid-July following a planned pay revision.
Although the Infrastructure Ministry is permitted to appoint up to five secretary-rank advisers, only one of them can receive remuneration under the new guidelines. The remaining advisers will serve without salary or benefits.
New guideline allows ministers to appoint 57 external secretary...
Previously, ministers occasionally appointed experts with ranks equivalent to joint secretaries, but each appointment required separate Cabinet approval. Under the new guidelines, ministries can now make such appointments directly without seeking fresh Cabinet approval.
"The Cabinet has already endorsed the guidelines. Ministries can now directly appoint secretary-rank advisers under those provisions," a joint secretary at the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) told Republica.
Minister for Education and Sports Sasmit Pokharel has also appointed Shailendra Jha as a secretary-rank adviser. Sources said several other ministers are expected to make similar appointments within the next few days.
Under the guidelines, the Ministries of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation; Infrastructure Development; and Agriculture, Forests and Environment may appoint up to five advisers, including one paid secretary-rank adviser. The remaining ministries may appoint up to three advisers, including one paid adviser.
If all ministries fill the available positions, ministers' secretariats could accommodate 57 secretary-rank advisers—15 across the three larger ministries and 42 across the remaining 14 ministries.
The guidelines also substantially expand ministers' personal secretariats. In addition to advisers, each minister may appoint a chief private secretary equivalent to an under-secretary, a private secretary, a coordination, implementation and monitoring officer, a communication and public relations assistant, support staff, two light-vehicle drivers and two office assistants.
In total, the number of political appointees in ministers' personal secretariats could reach 210, despite the government's recent decision to reduce the number of ministries from 21 to 17 under the Government of Nepal (Allocation of Business) Rules, 2026, approved on May 13.
The appointments come as the government is simultaneously preparing to shrink the permanent bureaucracy. Nepal currently has 71 secretary-level posts, but officials say the government plans to cut around 10 positions, reducing the total to 61.
At the same time, all ministries are conducting an Organisation and Management (O&M) survey aimed at reducing staffing levels from secretary to support staff. According to PMO sources, the government's policy is to retain only one permanent secretary in each ministry, with surplus secretaries already placed in an additional pool following the merger of ministries.
The growing number of secretary-rank political advisers has, however, raised concerns among governance experts and bureaucrats. They warn that advisers with secretary-level status working alongside permanent secretaries could blur lines of authority and create conflicts over roles, responsibilities and decision-making within ministries.
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