KATHMANDU, May 26: The government has announced the dissolution of unnecessary government offices, development committees, projects, trusts and departments in the fiscal year 2080/81 BS.
Presenting the policies and programs for the fiscal year, 2080/81 BS at a joint meeting of the Federal Parliament, President Ram Chandra Paudel last Friday said that government offices that are seen as duplicitous, trusts and funds that are not relevant, unnecessary development committees, departments, and offices that do not work as intended will be dissolved. But experts say, "This slogan of the government is likely to be limited only to slogans." According to them, previous governments had also taken such decisions, but unnecessary offices were never dissolved. Instead, such unnecessary offices became recruitment centers for politicians.
The Public Expenditure Review Commission (PERC) formed during the time of the then Prime Minister KP Oli had recommended to the government to dissolve the duplicitous and unnecessary government office departments and funds.
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PERC formed under the coordination of Dilli Raj Khanal suggested that public expenditure can be improved by scrapping or merging various funds, committees, councils, boards etc. which are not considered necessary. The commission has recommended to the government to revoke the National Dairy Development Board and the Cotton Development Committee. Similarly, the National Tea and Coffee Development and Large Cardamom Development Board have been suggested not to be included under the Union.
Similarly, the PERC has recommended to the government to revoke the National Dairy Development Board and the Cotton Development Committee, The National Tea and Coffee Development Board and Cardamom Development Board and also have suggested forming a communication authority by merging Radio Nepal, Nepal Television and Gorkhapatra. The decision to merge Radio Nepal and Nepal Television will be implemented in the next financial year. In the policy and program read by the President, it is said that Radio Nepal and Nepal Television will be merged.
In the suggestion given to the government, the National Sports Council and Nepal Scout should be merged, and the Janak Education Material Center should be merged with the Department of Printing. Similarly, it has been suggested that the National Planning Commission should be formed as a Federal Planning Commission to coordinate all types of economic and social development.
PERC has suggested dismissing Taragaon Development Committee, Local Development Training Academy and National Youth Council. The Road Board, Central Haj Committee, Press Council have also been advised to be revoked. The Commission has suggested revoking the Central Child Welfare Board and District Child Welfare Committee.
It is suggested in the report that there is no need to keep the Department of Local Infrastructure (DoLI) under the union. Only a few months ago, the government decided to bring DoLI under the Ministry of Urban Development. Earlier, the government had decided to bring DoLI under the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure.
The government withdrew from the implementation of the decision after the employees working in physical infrastructure started a protest against the said decision. Then it was decided to take DoLI to the Ministry of Urban Development. It is mentioned in the report that there is no need to keep the Ministry of Water Supply under the federal government. As the responsibility of water supply has been transferred to the provincial and local governments, the Commission has suggested to the government not to keep the Ministry of Water Supply under the federal government and merge it with the Ministry of Energy.
Similarly, it is recommended to merge the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration and the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs. Stating that some offices that should be transferred to the provincial and local levels are kept by the union, the commission has suggested the federal government transfer such offices to the provincial and local levels. The government does not seem to have implemented these suggestions given by the commission.
According to sources, PERC has also suggested reducing the number of divisions under the Ministry. An opinion has been given that a ministry should have only three to five divisions, according to which it is suggested to have 62 employees in a ministry having three divisions, 75 employees in a ministry with four divisions and 88 employees in a ministry with five divisions. It is suggested to have one Director General, one Deputy Director General, one Under Secretary, two officers, one non-gazetted first class officer, one computer operator and one office assistant in each division. Experts say, “These suggestions will not be implemented, either.”
