Kathmandu, February 4:

A surprise check carried out at the Home Ministry by the National Vigilance Centre (NVC) found 29 officials absent from duty during the first hour of duty today.

“Four under secretaries and five section officers and non-gazetted officials were not in office when the check was carried out at 10:20 am,” stated an NVC release.

Two non-gazetted first class officials were found to have been absent for over a month without reporting.

A check in the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology found that some officials had been staying on leave for periods longer than approved.

A surprise inspection by the NVC at Nepal Electricity Authority yesterday found only 158 officials out of the total 1,025 at work. Thirty-two officials had remained absent since April while many were found to have been leaving the office shortly after marking the attendance.

Similarly, the vigilance body also conducted surprise checks in Office of the Controller of SLC Examination in Bhaktapur, District Agricultural Development Office, Kathmandu, and Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT) in Bhaktapur yesterday.

The check reported many irregularities and delays in service delivery in the offices.