Civil servants organizations have long been demanding that the minimum monthly salary of civil servants be fixed at Rs 20,000 keeping in view the rate of inflation, increasing educational expenses of children and other expenses. [break]
The government has currently been providing Rs 33,640 to chief secretary, Rs 31,680 to secretaries, Rs 24,740 to first class gazetted officers, Rs 21,080 to second class gazetted officers and Rs 18,790 to third class gazetted officers in monthly salaries.
Non-gazetted first class, non-gazetted second class and non-gazetted third-class staffers are being paid monthly salaries of Rs 14,480, Rs 13,650 and Rs 11,290 respectively. Similarly, Baidar, peon and driver are being paid Rs 10,610, Rs 9,900 and Rs 12,203 respectively in monthly salaries.
“Keeping in view the inflation rate, we are preparing to hike the salary of civil servants by 18-25 percent in the upcoming budget. Low ranking civil servants would get a bigger hike as they are the hardest hit due to inflation,” a source at the Ministry of Finance (MoF) told Republica on Thursday.
The source, however, said salary increment rate may slightly be changed on the basis of revenue projection for the upcoming fiscal year.
According to Nepal Rastra Bank, the overall inflation has been recorded at 8.7 percent this year. Three years back when Bharat Mohan Adhikari was the finance minister, the government had increased the salary of civil servants, Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and Nepal Army by 20-33 percent.
Around 400,000 employees, including 79,851 civil servants and 200,000 teachers, draw salary from the state coffers.
Mohan Ghimire, general secretary of the Nepal Civil Servants Organization affiliated to CPN-UML, said they have demanded that the minimum salary for civil servants be fixed at Rs 20,000. “We have recommended a minimum monthly salary of Rs 20,000 as a family of four needs at least 19,700 per month to meet the basic needs of life,” Ghimire told Republica.
The government has already enforced minimum wage for private sector workers from June 9. The Minimum Wage Fixation Committee had recently fixed the minimum monthly remuneration of workers at Rs 8,000, including Rs 2,900 allowance, and daily wage at Rs 318.
Before this, workers were drawing a minimum salary of Rs 6,200 per month and Rs 231 in daily wages.
Related story
Bill bars local units from recruiting civil servants
