Subedi appointed as new chief secy

KATHMANDU, Aug 5: The government has appointed Somlal Subedi as the new chief secretary.

A cabinet meeting held at Singha Durbar on Wednesday decided to promote Subedi, who was the secretary at the Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development (MoFALD), to the post of chief secretary.As incumbent chief secretary Leela Mani Paudyal is retiring on August 7 after completing his three-year tenure, the government took the decision to promote Subedi. With the cabinet's decision, Subedi has become the 21st chief secretary of the government.

As chief secretary is appointed from among current secretaries on the basis of seniority and work performance, three senior secretaries had been vying for the post.

Secretary at the Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development (MoFALD) Som Lal Subedi, Secretary at the Ministry of Industry Jay Mukunda Khanal and Secretary at the Ministry of Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation Shreedhar Gautam had been vying for the post. All three officials were promoted as secretaries on April 13, 2011.

Officials at the Prime Minister's Office said Subedi bagged the post as he has good relations with leaders of the two ruling parities.

Subedi, who is in the civil service for the past 34 years, has worked for a long time at MoFALD. He has served as local development officer in various districts. Subedi, who holds a PhD in financial decentralization, has already served as the secretary at the Prime Minister's Office, Ministry of Education, Labor Ministry and Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment. Likewise, he has also served as the member secretary of the National Planning Commission (NPC) and, for a while, he also served as acting vice-chairman of the NPC.

While appointing Subedi as chief secretary, the cabinet also thanked outgoing chief secretary Paudyal for his contribution to civil service.

Good governance a priority

Meanwhile, Subedi said he will give top priority to ensuring good governance and efficient service delivery during his tenure.

"As have just been appointed, I am yet to prepare a detailed plan. But my top priority will definitely be to ensure good governance and efficient service delivery," he told Republica. "My other priorities would be to maintain effective coordination between ministries and other bodies."

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