Currently, there are 133 offices under the provincial government. It has been suggested that these offices be merged and reduced to 71.
We use Google Cloud Translation Services. Google requires we provide the following disclaimer relating to use of this service:
This service may contain translations powered by Google. Google disclaims all warranties related to the translations, expressed or implied, including any warranties of accuracy, reliability, and any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and noninfringement.
The Karnali government's meeting on Mangsir 1 decided to abolish the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Law. According to this, after merging the ministry and making it a branch of the Office of the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers, the posts of 25 employees, including ministers and secretaries, have been cut, and about 30 million rupees in administrative expenses have been saved. Along with this, the Karnali government has also started the process of merging other ministries, directorates and offices.
The Karnali government had formed a four-member high-level committee under the coordination of former Secretary Laxman Aryal on April 20 for administrative restructuring.
After studying for about two months, the committee submitted a report to the government on June 20 with recommendations including reducing the number of eight ministries to six, abolishing some directorates and offices, and reducing the number of employees from about 2,900 to 2,500.
There are currently 133 offices under the provincial government. It has been suggested that these offices be merged to limit them to 71. The committee has also suggested that the Ministry of Water Resources and Energy Development be merged with the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Urban Development. The provincial government had formed a four-member implementation and facilitation committee under the coordination of Laxmi Kumar BK, Secretary to the Office of the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers, in June to implement the report.
‘We are working in stages to implement the report. There are some legal, political and practical problems, which we will solve and implement,’ said Secretary BK. ‘The recommendations are being studied, researched and analyzed in depth. After we submit the report, the Chief Minister will take it to the Council of Ministers for a decision.’
Secretary BK said that various options are being explored so that the reduction of staff posts does not affect their career development. According to him, there are plans such as not issuing new advertisements for vacant posts by the Public Service Commission, automatically abolishing some computer posts, and adjusting employees of various services. ‘We have emphasized the legal and technical aspects in terms of office abolition,’ he said. ‘We are also holding regular meetings as required, and a decision will be taken soon.’
Provincial Secretary Pushparaj Shahi said that the work of lawmaking, security, disaster management, communication, etc., which are currently the responsibility of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Law, is being done from the Chief Minister's Office. According to him, nearly Rs 300 million allocated for the ministry in the current fiscal year has also been transferred to the Chief Minister's Office. He informed that the number of employees in both ministries is currently 101, but now 76 have been established.
Karnali initially had 7 ministries. But during the time of the then Chief Minister Mahendra Bahadur Shahi, in 2078 Baisakh, the Ministry of Water Resources and Energy Development was split to settle the division between the then Maoists and the Nepali Congress. Again in 2079 Magh, the ministry was merged with Physical Infrastructure. But the Council of Ministers meeting on 2080 Baisakh 7 again split the ministry and formed the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Urban Development and the Ministry of Water Resources and Energy Development.
Provincial government spokesperson and Minister for Land Management, Agriculture and Cooperatives Binod Kumar Shah said that the implementation process has been expedited as the organizational restructuring plays an important role in maintaining good governance throughout the province.
‘There have also been problems in work and operations due to the administrative structure not matching the actual situation of the province,’ he said, ‘This will also help in the effective implementation of federalism.’ Former Deputy Secretary Khamba Prasad Thani said that the government has taken positive decisions for cost reduction and employee management. ‘It seems that this is also trying to gradually resolve the dilemma in the division of work between ministries and offices,’ he said, ‘It will help in controlling unnecessary expenses and gradually making the province self-reliant.’
