KATHMANDU, May 23: The draft Federal Civil Service Bill, passed by the State Affairs Committee of Parliament, has sparked lobbying by Chief Secretary Ek Narayan Aryal, several Secretaries, and some Joint Secretaries to remove the provision mandating a cooling-off period.
The draft currently requires retired government employees to wait at least two years before taking up new appointments.
According to sources, senior officials have met with top leaders from various political parties, including Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba, to press for the removal of this provision.
Although the State Affairs Committee has passed the draft, it has yet to be presented in the federal parliament. Lobbying by top bureaucrats began even before the bill was finalized by the committee.
Top bureaucrats lobby for Civil Service ordinance for own benef...
Ram Hari Khatiwada, Chairperson of the State Affairs Committee, indicated that substantial changes to the bill are unlikely. “The draft passed by the committee will not undergo fundamental changes, though the language can be adjusted,” he said.
On Wednesday afternoon, some civil servants met with Chairperson Khatiwada and urged him to amend the provision related to promotions. During the meeting, Khatiwada called Rabi Lal Pantha, Secretary at the Ministry of Federal Affairs, and asked him to revise the language in the bill. However, he did not commit to altering the substance of the provision.
Sources say Chief Secretary Aryal and other Secretaries have been actively lobbying for the removal of the cooling-off period since before the committee finalized the draft. Despite this pressure, the committee initially stood firm.
UML lawmakers had originally proposed a one-year cooling-off period, while Nepali Congress lawmakers supported a two-year term. The committee eventually agreed on a two-year cooling-off period. However, senior bureaucrats continue to push for a law that would allow immediate reappointment after retirement.
Sources also revealed that, following pressure from senior officials, PM Oli and Deuba have advised lawmakers to expedite the bill's passage, warning that delays could create further complications.
Experts, however, call for stricter rules. “It would have been better to ban reappointments altogether. That would open opportunities for others and end the practice of the same individuals holding multiple positions. Institutions like the Public Service Commission, Staff College, and Administrative Court—where retired officials’ expertise is valuable—could be exceptions. But elsewhere, they should not be eligible for reappointment. This should be clearly included in the Federal Civil Service Act,” said an expert.
In addition to lobbying against the cooling-off period, senior officials are also pushing to implement the proposed retirement age increase within 35 days of the bill’s certification—rather than from the next fiscal year, as currently proposed.
The draft bill includes a gradual increase in the retirement age from 58 to 60 years: first to 59 in the initial phase, then to 60 in the second. However, if the bill isn’t certified by the end of Ashar (mid-July), the new retirement age will not take effect from Shrawan (mid-July to mid-August).
Chief Secretary Aryal, Physical Infrastructure Secretary Keshav Sharma, Youth and Sports Secretary Hari Lamsal, Prime Minister’s Office Secretary Phanindra Gautam, and Vice President’s Office Secretary Loknath Paudel are all set to retire soon under the current age limit of 58. Their lobbying aims to have the retirement age change take effect within 35 days of the bill’s certification, ensuring an extension of their tenures.
