Instead of making such a decision, NRA should have asked the government to supply required number of staffers and provided allowances to them on the basis of their performance and work load, the experts said.
Last week, NRA had decided to provide its staff on deputation from elsewhere allowances equal to the salaries. The decision was made reportedly after civil servants showed reluctance to serve at the authority without attractive incentives.
“First of all, the NRA should have pressured the government to provide the required number of staff. But no decisive efforts were taken in this regard and it looked like the NRA has bowed down to the pressures from the civil servants,” said former chief secretary Leela Mani Paudyel.
If the ministry concerned has failed to supply necessary staff, NRA could have mounted pressure on the government to do so through a cabinet decision, Paudyal opined.
He said that NRA should provide incentives/allowances to staff based on their performance and work load. “It is not appropriate to provide additional allowances just for joining the authority. The authority can provide allowances based on certain criteria such as working hours, work load, work station (remoteness) and performance.”
NRA spokesman Suresh Adhikari admitted that NRA was forced to make the decision on the allowances after majority of the civil servants appeared reluctant to work at the authority without attractive incentives.
“The decision on the allowances was made as the NRA could not carry out the preparatory work for reconstruction and rehabilitation without necessary staff,” he said.
Even a month and a half after NRA’s request for 208 officers, the Ministry for General Administration provided only 80 officers, according to Adhikari.
Kashi Raj Dahal, chairman of the High-Level Administration Reform Monitoring Committee, said that a civil servant must work wherever they are deputed or face departmental action.
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