Kathmandu, January 3:

Minister of State for General Administration Dharma Nath Prasad Shah today urged chairman of the State Affairs Committee (SAC) Hridaya Ram Thani to pass the Civil Service Bill 2063.

Stating that there was no Act to govern the civil service following the annulment of the Civil Service Act, Shah said he himself decided to head the delegation to draw the attention of the SAC on the matter.

“The absence of the Act governing the civil service has created problems in the civil

service. The House should take the problems seriously,” he added. The delegation also comprised Secretary of the Ministry, Yuba Raj Pandey.

“Civil service will be affected if the parliament does not pass the Bill,” Shah said, adding, “Bureaucrats are not ready to work in a vacuum.”

He requested Thani to prioritise the approval of the Bill. Stating that he had met Speaker Subas Nembang, chief whips of major parliamentary parties to call for passage of the Bill, the minister said no one paid heed.

According to the Minister, there are only six secretaries in the government. Acting secretaries have been heading most of the ministries.

Thani assured the Minister that he will do his best to get the Bill passed at the earliest. “I will call a meeting of chief whips of parliamentary political parties and hold consultation with people concerned about the matter,” Thani assured the minister.

Asked why he led the delegation and not raised the issue in the cabinet, Minister shah said, “It is the job of the parliament to pass any bill. “I went to meet Thani because I was not sure whether bureaucrats can put forth the issue of the passage of the bill properly,” he added.