Kathmandu, September 22

A parliamentary sub-committee today finalised its report on the Civil Servants Adjustment Bill, fixing three objective criteria for adjustment, among other changes.

The sub-committee of the State Affairs Committee fixed three criteria for adjustment of civil servants – seniority, employees’ preference and their current address.  The original bill’s provision was somewhat vague as it stated that the functions of the post to be adjusted and its relevance will be analysed before recommending adjustment of civil servants.

The original bill also stated that employees’ address mentioned in their citizenship certificate would also be one criterion for their adjustment.

Women civil servants had sought to change this provision, saying that if they were adjusted on  grounds of their address mentioned in their citizenship certificate, they would be separated from their spouses and children.

The SAC sub-committee revised the provision, stating that if both spouses are working as civil servants, they would be adjusted in the same place to the extent possible.

It stated that the academic qualification and length of the service of the employees will also be considered while adjusting civil servants to provinces and local levels from the centre. It also clarified that the employees working at the Parliament Secretariat would be adjusted to suitable posts of provincial and local governments.

The sub-committee retained the bill’s original provision that states that employees who fail to report to their jobs within 35 days would be sacked. But the sub-panel said that the employees concerned would be given a chance to clarify their position before they are sacked.

The sub-committee also stated that the government will consult the Public Service Commission before taking a decision to sack employees for failing to report to their jobs within the stipulated time.

The sub-committee added provisions in the bill allowing transfer of employees adjusted in the local government to central government after he/she serves in the local government for five years. Likewise, an employee adjusted to the federal government can be transferred to provincial and local government after serving in the federal government for five years.

Sub-committee Chair Rekha Sharma said they suggested that transfer of employees within the same tier of government be allowed any time but if the tier of the government had to be changed then such transfers be allowed only after the concerned employee served for five years in the tier of the government he /she had been adjusted.

Sharma said the sub-committee also made a significant change in the original bill, proposing additional gratuity of seven years if civil servants who have served for 20 years and who have reached 50 years of age decide to quit service.

Sharma also said that the sub-committee recommended removing prohibition placed on the Public Service Commission from making fresh recruitment. “We have proposed that PSC can freshly recruit civil servants but that should be limited to the offices where posts have fallen vacant,” Sharma added.  The bill adds provision in the original bill that opportunities such as chance to take part in seminars and training would be distributed among employees of the central, provincial and local governments proportionally.

The bill states that permanent employees already working in the local levels will be automatically adjusted to the same local levels.

Key provisions

• Employees to be adjusted on basis of seniority, preference and current address
• Those seeking retirement to get additional gratuity