New provisions proposed in Civil Service Bill

Adopting some new provisions in civil service, the government on Monday proposed 45 per cent reservation for Women, Dalits, Janajatis and other disadvantaged groups.

State Minister for General Administration Dhramanath Prasad Shah tabled a Bill in the House of Representatives, which has also made a provision for open competition at the under-secretary and joint-secretary levels.

The royal government had scrapped open competition in the high-ranking posts in civil service through an ordinance immediately after King Gyanendra seized power last year.

The government has proposed 45 per cent quota for women, Janajatis and Dalits, Madhesis and disabled to make civil service inclusive, according to clause 10 (6) of the Bill. The quota will exist for the next 20 years but separate examinations will be conducted to give them chances for jobs. However, if people cannot claim in such quotas in the same year of vacancy, the government can fill the posts through normal ways and other free competitors can fight for the posts.

The government has the authority to appoint women in certain posts if the posts are suitable for them.

This is the first time the government has adopted quota system. The Bill is to amend Civil Service Act 2049 and to repeal the Civil Service Ordinance promulgated by the king-led government last year. The Bill has proposed 10 per cent open competition for the posts of joint-secretary and under-secretary.

The Bill has proposed to scrap the provision of appointing peons in the government service immediately after it is passed by the House.
Civil servants can be transferred with the consent of the Ministry of General Administration, as the government can deploy them for census, elections, and other kinds of permanent and temporary jobs.

The Bill has made a provision according to which the government cannot keep any official in any post more than one month without giving them work. But the government can send officials to the reserve pool.

The Bill has adopted a new provision to promote officials from non-gazetted to gazetted posts and there will be a committee to fix pay scale of civil servants, which will be headed by the chief secretary of the government. As per clause 41 of the Bill, a civil servant can take voluntary retirement with the conditions offered by the government after attending the age of 50. There is a provision for provident fund and the officials will be allowed to withdraw the fund at the time of retirement.