State Affairs Committee (SAC) on Wedneesday directed Agriculture Development Bank to uphold “free competition” and “transparency” in selection or promotion of staff.

The bank should stick to Article 124 of the Civil Service Regulations while hiring or promoting staff. Irrespective of whether the employee is temporary staff or hired on contract or daily wage, the government should allow equal opportunity to “able and interested” candidates, the panel stated.

Examination, competition and transparency should be the basis for selection, no matter whether candidate works in the bank or not. The implementation should adhere to the spirit of the Constitution, the SAC said in its directives to the governmental agencies. Article 11 of the statute ensures right to equality saying: “All citizens shall be equal before the law. No person shall be denied the equal protection of the laws.”

The panel also asked the bank to adopt clause 3 (5) of the banking regulations in its functioning. The decision was reached after finance minister, finance secretary and the chairman-cum-general manager of the bank furnished clarifications. The bank had taken up “one shot” approach and put priority on internal candidate. According to general manger Devendra Pratap Shah the motive was to clear off the discrepancy once for and all.

Though the move is theoretical incorrect, it was given a green signal being sympathetic to practical implications. “If it needs to be done do it in a single shot, that was the concept behind the decision,” said Bimal Prasad Koirala, finance ministry.

The parliamentary SAC also asked the finance minister, finance secretary and the general manager of the bank to furnish the scheme on human resources management.

Of the stipulated 5,638 positions, there are 4,055 personnel employed with the bank while 1,583 seats remain vacant, general manager Shah told the parliamentary panel. The bank plans to recruit 652 personnel. The figure is “consistent” to the bank’s deputy general manager’s report that puts the size as 705, added Shah. Contrary to media reports that pegged the figure at 1,200 and Shankar Sharma’s report which put the number as 1,100.