Kathmandu, April 28: The government has received more than 3,500 suggestions, feedback, and comments on the preliminary draft of the Federal Civil Service Bill, prepared to strengthen and institutionalise the federal governance system.
The Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration, in a notice issued on Monday, said it is also collecting and analysing feedback expressed across various social media platforms. The draft bill was published on the ministry’s official website on April 24 (Baisakh 11) to gather input from stakeholders, civil servants, and the general public.
To make the bill more effective, the ministry has formed a task force led by the Chief of the Administrative Reform Division to systematically compile, study, and analyse the received suggestions.
In the notice, the ministry acknowledged that the draft is preliminary and still has significant areas for improvement. It assured stakeholders that all relevant feedback will be carefully reviewed and incorporated into the final version based on relevance and merit.
The ministry has also requested stakeholders to continue submitting their suggestions through the task force’s email and WhatsApp channels.
Meanwhile, civil service–affiliated trade unions have expressed dissatisfaction over provisions removing their role within Nepal’s civil service. They argue that the right to form and participate in trade unions is a fundamental constitutional right and is also protected under International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions.
The Balendra Shah-led government has already announced plans to remove trade unions from the civil service, stating that it will instead establish an effective mechanism to address legitimate grievances of employees.
According to sources, the government is preparing to introduce a new civil service law through an ordinance within the month of Baisakh (April–May).
The draft law proposes several key changes, including raising the retirement age to 60 years (an extension of two years), introducing a two-year cooling-off period for senior officials, and setting fixed two-year tenures for the Chief Secretary and Secretaries, among other provisions. #Nepal #civil
