KATHMANDU, Nov 6: The Ministry of General Administration (MoGA) has finalized a draft of the Civil Servants Adjustment Regulations 2074 BS to adjust over 86,000 civil servants in three different tiers of government under the new federal set up.
Officials at MoGA said the Regulations developed in line with the Civil Servants Adjustment Act 2074 BS endorsed earlier by parliament is in the process of getting approval from the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Law. The Regulations seek to conclude the adjustment of civil servants in different tiers of the government within one year once the cabinet approves them.
The Regulations will pave the way for the government to adjust the civil servants, now serving under the centralized governance system, in different federal government units, bodies of seven provincial governments and 753 local units across the country. It also empowers the government to relieve civil servants failing to abide by the adjustment decision within 35 days from their posts.
According to spokesperson for MoGA, Shivaram Neupane, the draft of the Regulations has proposed first updating the Personal Information System (PIS) of all civil servants working in different government units. “We have already written to all ministries and central service-providing agencies to update the PIS of all civil servants working under them. We hope to accomplish this task within a month,” said Neupane. This will give MoGA the details of civil servants including the number of employees working in different specialized service areas.
Bill bars local units from recruiting civil servants
The Regulations propose forming an Organization and Management (O&M) Survey Committee to determine service areas, organizational structures and the number of employees at federal, provincial and local levels. The body shall comprise of special class former bureaucrats, who served in different service areas.
All the employees will then be given an opportunity to choose online where they want to serve, namely federal government and its affiliated bodies, provincial governments and their affiliated bodies, and the local units. While those already serving at the local units will be automatically adjusted there, those opting to serve at the federal and provincial governments shall be deputed to various offices under them based on seniority, academic qualifications and address of their permanent residence.
The MoGA will then publish online the list of the civil servants deputed at different government agencies based on the set criteria while giving opportunity for amendments, if deemed necessary. Once the adjustment or the placement of the civil servants is made, the local units, provincial governments concerned and the federal government shall be informed about it.
Officials said the adjustment of civil servants shall be subject to all those working in different government bodies including the constitutional bodies. In recent months, there has been a tendency of a section of civil servants to get transferred to these bodies to avoid the adjustment.
The Regulations also incorporate punitive measures against those failing to abide by the adjustment decisions. “Civil servants must go to serve in the offices where they are deputed in the adjustment process within 35 days. MoGA may seek clarification if they failed to go to the assigned places and may sack them in consultation with the Public Service Commission if their justification for the delay is found unsatisfactory,” said Neupane.
PM's poll-busy schedule affects adjustment
The High-Level Federal Administrative Restructuring Committee formed to facilitate the adjustment of civil servants has failed to meet for over a month now, as MoGA is left without a minister, who heads the body.
Although Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba himself holds the ministerial portfolio after he rendered all ministers representing the CPN (Maoist Center) without any portfolio, officials said the prime minister has failed to manage time for the committee due to his poll-busy schedule. “The pace of our work has been greatly hampered as we have not been able to hold meeting for policy directives for over a month now,” said a senior official, asking not to be named.
Officials argue that Prime Minister Deuba could either assign the portfolio to some other minister or allow senior member of the party's representatives in the committee to chair the meeting. "This is an urgent task. But since we have not been able to hold the meeting for the last one month, the pace of our work has been greatly hampered," the official further said.
