KATHMANDU, Sept 10: The government has banned stock trading in all government offices across the country effective from Sunday. The government took a decision to this effect following a request from the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), which found that government employees were executing share transactions using the Trading Management System (TMS) during office hours within Singha Durbar.

Issuing a directive on Sunday, the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers (OPMCM) instructed all ministries, commissions, secretariats, and offices to ensure that TMS is no longer used at their respective offices. The directive also mandates the governmental offices to create a system whereby Information Technology can be employed to monitor whether government employees are trading stocks during office hours. Additionally, the OPMCM has directed the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration to implement the ban across all local levels. 

The Regional Coordination Department, under the Prime Minister's Office, has been tasked with circulating the directive to all provinces to enforce the ban on the TMS. The CIAA emphasized that using government resources for personal transactions during office hours is prohibited and urged the Prime Minister's Office to stop such activities.