The Ministry of General Administration (MoGA) took a decision to this effect recently on the basis of the performance evaluation of multiple secretaries. [break]
"The overall working environment at ministries where multiple secretaries are at work is not satisfactory," said MoGA Secretary Balananda Paudyal, adding "We decided to scrap the redundant secretaries as there was no clear role delineation for multiple secretaries at the same ministry."
Secretary Paudyal added that removing the multiple secretary system would also help minimize the financial burden of the government. More importantly, the key activities of the ministries will no longer be badly affected because of clash of interests and overlapping of jurisdiction between multiple secretaries,” he elaborated.
The government has also decided to scrap four posts of secretaries, saying they are meaningless.
The MoGA official said the roles of the multiple secretaries were not clearly spelled out, thereby causing conflict of interest among the secretaries and ministers.
Secretary Paudyal cited instances of conflict of interest between multiple secretaries at the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Physical Planning and Works.
Only recently, Health Minister Uma Kanta Chaudhary reshuffled the secretaries after he had a rift with Secretary Sudha Sharma. Secretary Prabin Mishra replaced Sharma in Minister Chaudhary´s interest.
Likewise, the responsibilities of the secretaries at the Ministry of Education have frequently changed.
At least two secretaries each have been working at the ministries of Physical Planning and Works, Law and Justice, Health, Land Reforms and Management, Irrigation, Finance, Science and Technology and Local Development. Similarly, the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers has five secretaries.
The ministries of Local Development, Land Reform and Management and Law and Justice have three secretaries each.
The government recently decided to scrap four secretaries, one each from the Office of Prime Minister and Council of Ministers (OPMCM), the Freed Kamaiya Management Committee, the Office of Cantonment Management and Kathmandu Municipality.
"We decided to scrap four secretary posts as their role was found to be meaningless," Paudyal told myrepublica.com.
Paudyal said differences of opinion among top bureaucrats led to delay in implementation of the plans and policies of the ministries.
Some secretaries recently asked Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal to remove the multiple secretary posts, saying the system is weakening the administrative machinery.
The government plans to cut the number of secretaries to 40, according to MoGA. The total number of secretaries is now 58.
Minister for General Administration Rabindra Shrestha, immediately after assuming office, had instructed officials to find ways to cut down the number of redundant secretaries.
Secretary Paudyal, however, said the removal process of multiple secretaries would take place gradually, not abruptly. “We have to adjust those who will be removed from their posts and so the process will take place steadily,” he said.
The then Nepali Congress-led government had set up the multiple secretary system some four years ago despite strong objection from administrative experts and against the recommendations of various commissions.
None of the six commissions set up in the past to recommend reform in the administrative sector have recommended to the government to appoint more than one secretary at one ministry.
NM Buch Commission-2009 BS, Administrative Reform Planning Commission-2013 BS, Jha Commission-2025 BS, Administrative Restructuring Commission-2032 BS, High Level Administrative Restructuring Commission-2048 BS and Administrative Restructuring Commission-2065 BS did not recommend to the government to implement a system of multiple secretaries.
These commissions have instead recommended to the government to confine the number of ministries to 21 and the number of secretaries to 35 to 40 at the most.
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