The bill, which was recently endorsed by the Parliament's State Affairs Committee and is awaiting endorsement of the Parliament's full session, has envisaged that joint secretaries of six specialized services--engineering service, agriculture and forestry service, judicial service, foreign service, administrative service and account audit service--will be promoted to the post of secretary in their respective services and transferred within their own services only.
So far, special-class officers (secretary-level) of the technical service are being transferred to other services as well. Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Peace and Construction Bhim Prasad Upadhayaya, who is also an engineer and now belongs to the technical service, said that the specialization of engineering service will confine the joint secretaries within their own service, which will have a negative impact on their career development and welfare. There was no separate engineering service in the past.
"If the government and parliament turn a deaf ear on the issue we will be forced to stage a pen down strike at our offices and will announce more agitation programs soon," Upadhaya told Republica.
Bill bars local units from recruiting civil servants
Issuing a press statement, joint secretaries of the technical service have demanded the existing provision regarding transfer and promotion of secretary-level post of the technical service be kept as it is. According to the existing provision, joint secretaries of the technical service can be transferred to other services as well.
The joint secretaries of the technical service have blamed top officials of the administrative service of conspiring against them by proposing new law against the technical service. "Secretary level promotion and transfer should be based on the merit in all government services," read the statement, adding, "We urge the government and lawmakers to understand this reality," Upadhaya said.
If the proposed bill on civil service amendment is approved by the parliament, joint secretaries of all government services can be promoted and transferred within their respective services only.
