Performance counts
Minister Pandit has shown a good example for others to follow in order to do justice to their own position and for the greater good of the people
The decision to prohibit any act of applying for or acquiring diversity visa (DV), permanent residency status or citizenship has received wide public support. The Minister for General Administration, Lalbabu Pandit, who had to work against heavy odds for more than a year in giving legal teeth to this decision, has finally succeeded. The fourth amendment to the Civil Service Act was passed by Legislature-Parliament incorporating the provisions that bar foreign residency or citizenship by any individual who draws his or her salary form the public purse. Applying alone will be enough for such a person to lose his or her job as well as certain other facilities, including the pension and the opportunity to be appointed to any government job in the future. Some civil servants have shown proof of relinquishing foreign residency to retain their job. But more employees, including secretary in charge of Inland Revenue at the Finance Ministry, have already resigned but citing domestic or health reasons. According to Minister Pandit, 1,000 to 1,200 civil servants, i.e. 1.5 percent of 83,000 civil servants, are estimated to hold permanent residency.
Other state or semi-state institutions are in the process of amending their rules and regulations to adopt this policy, including the Nepali Army (93,000 personnel) and Nepal Police (67,400 personnel), Tribhuvan University (15, 000 teachers and other employees). The Armed Police Force (30,000 officers) has already amended its regulations accordingly. The numbers of those holding DV/PR are reported to be the largest in these institutions. Public corporations and semi-government institutions are also going in the same direction. This choice of giving up foreign residency or resigning from government post has been available for this time only. The government had given 30 days to DV/PR-holding employees to declare that they had foreign residency status and another 30 days to make a choice. The first one month’s deadline has passed. The government should make public the details about such employees. But it may be difficult to gather accurate data about those who had actually resigned fearing action because they had cited personal reasons.
The government’s decision to bar holders of DV/PR from holding government jobs is perhaps the single government decision which has become the most popular. This means that it is not necessary to be at any job for a long period of time to make a difference. It has also shown that the public want good work from government leaders and bureaucrats, and their judgment of holders of such office is not based on considerations of gender, caste, creed, ethnicity or some other identity but on performance and merit alone. Minister Pandit has shown a good example for others to follow in order to do justice to their own position and for the greater good of the people. Other ministers who have received wide public support because of their single decision include Minister of State for Labour and Employment Tek Bahaur Gurung who has gone for ‘free visa, free ticket’ policy for the benefit of Nepali migrant workers bound for certain countries despite strong opposition from manpower agencies.
Philanthropic
Philanthropist and former lawmaker of the Nepali Congress Maiya Devi Shrestha has donated her property worth Rs 100 million to a trust that she has founded. She handed over her land ownership certificate of land and house located at Bharatpur Municipality-3 and a cash amount of Rs. 20 million to the trust dedicated to social welfare. Earlier, she has already donated her property worth Rs 620 million to Nepali Congress and other organizations working in various social services. “Serve the humanity” is the motto of her life that inspired her to donate her property to social organizations.
The octogenarian has now joined the league of people who have contributed to society using their private property. There are a number of people in our society who really want to make this country a better place to live in. Many social organizations have been functioning here with the contribution solely from within the country. As she has donated her property to the Maiya Devi Trust Nepal, it is now the duty of the trust officials to run it purely for social services.
- READ ALSO: Property worth Rs 100m donated
