Minister for Federal Affairs and General Administration, Bhagwati Nyaupane, has stated that it is not possible to keep all government posts open for competition.
Speaking at a meeting of the National Assembly’s Legislative Management Committee on Friday, Minister Nyaupane clarified her position after media reports misrepresented her earlier remarks. She explained that keeping all civil service posts open often shifts employees’ focus from work toward preparing for Public Service Commission exams.
The Federal Civil Service Bill includes a provision that NaSu (Section Officer) posts will not be open for direct competition. According to the bill already passed by the House of Representatives, future recruitment for the posts of NaSu and Under-Secretary will not be through open advertisement by the Public Service Commission.
“My point was that since candidates can take exams for both Kharidar and NaSu with the same qualifications and training, once an employee enters service through Kharidar, they tend to focus more on preparing for NaSu exams if both are open, rather than on their actual work,” Minister Nyaupane explained.
She added that when all posts are open for competition, many employees simply attend office for formality while focusing mainly on exam preparation, which prevents the government from achieving the desired level of performance.
Under the bill currently under discussion in the National Assembly, promotion from the Kharidar level is provided for. Entry into the NaSu level will only be possible through internal promotion from the Kharidar rank.
To compete for Kharidar, candidates must have passed Grade 12. The bill further stipulates that NaSu and Under-Secretary posts will not be open for direct competition, while only the posts of Under-Secretary (partially), Section Officer, and Kharidar will remain open.
Additionally, 10% of Under-Secretary posts will be filled through open competition, while the rest will be through internal promotion. The bill also requires that a Section Officer must have completed seven years of service before being eligible to compete for Under-Secretary.
Previously, candidates could enter the post of Joint Secretary (Saha Sachiv) through open competition, but once this bill is passed, that provision will be removed.
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