KATHMANDU, March 4: The Public Service Commission (PSC) has recommended to the members of the subcommittee of the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee to create a new post of additional secretary in the bill related to the formation, operation, and conditions in the federal civil service, which is currently under discussion.
PSC Chairman Madhav Prasad Regmi has suggested coordinator Dilendra Badu and the members of the subcommittee to include this post in the bill. Regmi said, “We have been saying from the beginning that the position of additional secretary is necessary in the civil service.” He stated that additional secretary positions are required in ministries, departments, and constitutional bodies that have many joint secretaries.
The subcommittee members discussed the bill with PSC Chairman Regmi on Sunday, but the members of the State Affairs Committee have not reached a consensus on the issue of creating such a post. The State Affairs Committee has formed a subcommittee to reach a consensus on the bill.
Within the State Affairs Committee, members affiliated with the Nepali Congress have been advocating for the need for an additional secretary position, while MPs from the CPN-UML and Maoist Centre have argued that creating such a position would increase the financial burden on the state and, therefore, it is unnecessary.
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Civil servants who have been waiting for promotions, especially those who have served as joint secretaries and under secretaries for 6-7 years or longer, have been lobbying for the creation of the position.
If joint secretaries are promoted to the post of additional secretary, the path will be open for under-secretaries to be promoted to joint secretary. Therefore, the joint secretaries and senior deputy secretaries have shown interest in the creation of additional secretary positions. Some under-secretaries, who are likely to be promoted to the position of secretary within one or two years and have a fixed tenure of five years as secretary, remain silent on the issue of an additional secretary.
However, many employees working in various administrative services said that the role of additional secretary is necessary to assign responsibilities and ensure continuous professional development for staff.
A joint secretary said, “If the arrangement is made for the director general to additional secretary and the deputy director general to joint secretary, it will enhance coordination and cooperation between the director general and the deputy director general.”
Some employees argue that if the additional secretary position is not maintained in the civil service, the service will become ineffective, leading to frustration among senior-level employees, which would ultimately impact the services provided to the public by the state.
The draft has set 15 levels in the civil service, including non-gazetted and gazetted posts. If the gazetted special category is considered as the posts of additional secretary and secretary, then employees of the 13th, 14th, and 15th levels will hold those posts. Additionally, employees at levels 11 and 12 will be designated as joint secretaries, as stated in the bill.
The government submitted the draft of the Civil Service Law to Parliament on March 4, 2024. Currently, discussions regarding various provisions of the draft are taking place in the Parliamentary State Affairs Committee.
The draft of the civil service law tabled in parliament by the then Minister for Federal Affairs and General Administration, Anita Devi Sah, did not include the post of additional secretary. Although the draft prepared by the Ministry of Federal Affairs included the position, the draft law was sent from the ministry to the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers. After it reached the Prime Minister's Office, the position was removed from the draft.
The proposal to create an additional secretary position was registered by some lawmakers before the law was brought before the State Affairs Committee, stating that it is necessary in the civil service. A discussion on the same proposal took place in the State Affairs Committee on February 13.
