KATHMANDU, Feb 22: Against the government proposal to bar recruitment to the joint secretary post through open competition, lawmakers have tabled a number of amendments to the Federal Civil Service Bill demanding that non-civil servants be allowed contest for the post.

According to Netra Karki, under secretary at the parliament secretariat, altogether 81 amendment proposals have been registered at the bills section of the House of Representatives by Thursday demanding changes to various provisions in the bill. The House had sought amendments to the bill from the lawmakers within three days, which expired on Thursday. The government has proposed closing the door of recruitment to the joint secretary posts for non-civil servants and provisioned that appointment at the post will be made only through promotion. The bill has proposed that 35 percent joint secretaries shall be appointed through promotion based on seniority and work performance evaluation, another 35 percent through competence-based evaluation, 20 percent through intra-service competition and the remaining 10 percent through inter-service competition.

Mahesh Basnet, Anjana Bishunkhe, Parwati Kumari Bishunke, Bimala BK of the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP), Dilendra Badu, Lalkaji Gurung and seven other lawmakers from main opposition Nepali Congress (NC), four MPs of Rastriya Janata Party Nepal including Chanda Chaudhary have registered separate amendment proposals demanding continuation of open competition for the joint secretary post from outside the civil servants. All lawmakers registering amendments to the bill have demanded to recruit 10 percent joint secretaries through open competition and the remaining 90 percent through promotion and inter-service competition.

Similarly, lawmakers have also demanded that senior section officers be appointed as as executive officers at local units. The government has proposed that executive officer at the local units shall be appointed from the federal civil servants. But civil servants willing to get adjusted at the local level had protested against the provision.

Khagraj Adhikari of the ruling NCP has proposed paving the way for transferring civil servants adjusted at the provincial and local levels after they serve for five years at the adjusted local or provincial offices. The bill has only paved the way for their transfer to federal services through promotion after intra-service and inter-service competition.

Ganga Chaudhary and Aman Lal Modi of NCP, Bharat Shah and Teju Lal Chaudhary of NC among other lawmakers have demanded that the party-affiliated trade unions of civil servants be scrapped. Likewise lawmakers from Karnali Province have registered amendments demanding that Dailekh, and Darchula districts be included in the backward region.

 
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