Kathmandu, March 2

Local levels and provincial governments have been operating with 30 per cent of their staff strength, thereby affecting day to day administration of the two tiers of government.

Secretary at the Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development Dinesh Thapaliya said most local levels and provinces across the country had been functioning on skeletal staff. “We are aware of lack of civil servants in local levels and provinces,” said Secretary Thapaliya.

Due to staff crunch in the local levels, elected representatives have not been able to deliver adequate service to people for the last eight months. Local levels of remote districts and hinterlands are worse off than metropolitan cities.

Thapaliya said the federal government was unable to send staff to local levels, as old structures of the districts and regions were still functioning. “The number of ministries has been reduced to 18, but staffers have not been adjusted. Work of district structures has been transferred to local levels, but employees have not yet been transferred,” said Thapaliya.

According to Thapaliya, MoFALD is under immense pressure to fill vacancies in provincial governments and local levels, but reluctance of civil servants to be relocated to provincial governments and local levels has not helped matters.

Thapaliya, however, expressed confidence that the federal government would resolve the staff crunch crisis within a month.

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