KATHMANDU, July 23: A decision taken at a secretary-level meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Govinda Bahadur Karki on Monday not to request the Public Service Commission (PSC) to advertise vacancies for new civil service recruits this year was overturned by the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers (OPMCM) within six hours.
The OPMCM clarified that the commission would continue its regular recruitment process. The swift reversal has turned Chief Secretary Karki's first secretary-level meeting into a subject of public debate.
Every year, around 400,000 to 500,000 candidates prepare for PSC examinations. Of them, about 3,500 are recruited into the civil service. Officials said suspending the recruitment process could have triggered widespread disappointment among job seekers. An official at the Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation, who requested anonymity, said the government plans to cut 1,500 to 2,000 positions at the federal level this year.
"The commission is not in a position to halt recruitment this year. However, some positions may be reduced," the official said.
Bill bars local units from recruiting civil servants
Federal Affairs Secretary Madan Bhujel said the PSC would recruit employees for all approved positions except those that have been abolished. The secretary-level meeting held on Monday had decided not to send vacancy details to the PSC. However, the OPMCM issued a statement the same night reversing the decision.
The OPMCM clarified that ministries and agencies must continue sending requests to the PSC to fill permanent vacancies after surplus employees have been redeployed and for newly approved positions identified through Organization and Management (O&M) surveys.
The PSC advertises vacancies based on requisitions received from the government. It usually calls for applications around mid-October each year, and the recruitment process continues until mid-April. On average, the commission recruits around 3,500 civil servants annually.
Key decisions taken at the secretary-level meeting
The meeting decided that surplus employees would be internally redeployed to approved positions identified through the new O&M survey. It also decided that the Federal Affairs Ministry, provincial governments and local governments would coordinate the redeployment of surplus employees to vacant posts.
It further decided that no government agency would fill permanent positions in the current fiscal year without the approval of the OPMCM until surplus employees had been redeployed. Ministries have reduced around 600 approved positions through the O&M survey, leaving the affected employees in surplus.
The meeting also made it mandatory for government offices providing public services to address complaints from service seekers. All ministries and service-providing agencies have been instructed to operate complaint management systems through QR codes, websites and mobile applications, record complaints, and resolve them within the prescribed timeframe.
It also decided to speed up land revenue and survey-related services through local governments and ensure that agencies responsible for responding to disasters, including monsoon-related emergencies and pandemics, remain on standby. During emergencies, manpower, budgets, relief materials and technical assistance will be coordinated among all levels of government.
To help remove Nepal from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list, the meeting directed all government agencies to complete their assigned responsibilities within the stipulated timeframe. It also instructed federal, provincial and local governments to maintain fiscal discipline, strengthen internal controls, prevent illegal activities, prioritise reports of financial crimes, and enhance coordination to curb transnational crime, human trafficking, smuggling and revenue evasion.
