Civil Service Bill sends shockwaves through bureaucracy as thousands face early exit
Summary
Nepal's proposed Civil Service Bill seeks to retire thousands of senior officials early, sparking major controversy and concerns about legal validity and loss of experienced personnel.
Key Points
- The draft Civil Service Bill proposes mandatory retirement at 55 years or 30 years of service, forcing around 10,000 civil servants to leave early.
- The proposal reduces tenure lengths for secretaries and Chief Secretary from five and three years to three and two years respectively.
- Senior officials express dissatisfaction citing legal protections against adverse changes without consent and fear loss of experienced workforce.
- The government counters the move as a one-time restructuring to raise retirement age permanently to 60, stirring division within bureaucracy.
