Discussion continues on keeping a 'cooling period' for a minimum of 2 years and a maximum of 5 years after the retirement of the Chief Secretary and Secretary.
The chief secretaries and secretaries of the government have disagreed with the legal arrangements that are going to be made to prevent the constitutional commission officials, ambassadors, various NGOs and INGOs from getting jobs after they retire.
In the 'Bill to regulate the formation, operation and conditions of service of the Federal Civil Service', which is being discussed in the sub-committee formed by the Public Order and Good Governance Committee under the House of Representatives, the discussion is continuing on the issue of keeping a 'cooling period' so that the Chief Secretary and Secretary cannot be appointed to the Constitutional Commission, ambassadors and non-governmental organizations for a minimum of 2 years and a maximum of 5 years after their retirement.
The sub-committee of the Constitution Committee is discussing the Civil Bill in a secret meeting. The parliamentarians of the sub-committee have been saying that they had to hold a secret meeting at the request of the secretaries of the government. The bill is going to be finalized by discussing it in the secret meeting of the sub-committee.
The parliamentarians are insisting on the necessity of a legal provision to end the distortion of chief secretaries and secretaries of the government remaining in office and re-appointing the political leadership (prime minister, ministers and political party leaders) immediately after retirement or before retirement. However, Chief Secretary Eknarayan Aryal, Secretary of the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Udayraj Sapkota, Secretary of the Prime Minister's Office Phaninder Gautam, Secretary of the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration Ravilal Panth have expressed their opposition to the 'cooling period' arrangement. They expressed dissatisfaction with the provision of 'cooling period' in the meeting of the sub-committee on Sunday.
sub-committee coordinator Dilendra Prasad Badu said that all matters including the 'cooling period' are about to be finalized. We have reached a unanimous decision on all matters that have come up so far. We will submit the report of the sub-committee on Chait 12 so that the 1 month time given to us will not be extended by a single day," Badu said, "The parliamentarians have reached the decision to impose a cooling period. It can be at least 1 year and there has been an offer of 2 years.'
According to sub-committee sources, UML MP Raghuji Pant has proposed to keep the cooling period for only 6 months, while the Maoists and United Socialists have a stance of keeping it for 2 years. Some MPs of Congress have proposed to keep it for at least 1 year.
The MPs argue that there should be a cooling period as high-ranking employees continue to have a tendency to increase relations with political leadership, set up constitutional positions with ministers and secretaries, and retire as soon as they are in office by signing an agreement or by resigning to become employees of foreign donor agencies. The staff leadership did not want to listen to the cooling period arrangement. The Chief Secretary and Secretary have mentioned that the Constitution stipulates that 50% of the people who are in government service should be appointed in the Public Service Commission.
Member of Parliament Ishwaridevi Neupane said that there was a discussion in the sub-committee about keeping a 'cooling period'. In the bill, it is said that there will be a 'cooling period' except for the constitutional bodies. I have not been able to resign from the position of secretary, on the other hand there has been a distortion. There is no conclusion on what to do about appointments to the Civil Servants Constitutional Commission. The constitution also has some provisions, but there may be a 'cooling period',' she said.
Chairman of the committee Ramhari Khatiwada said that the parliamentarians are unanimous in keeping the 'cooling period'. "Government employees stay at the center of power and take constitutional appointments by pleasing the Prime Minister and Ministers, but there has not been much work done there either." "Sometimes it seems that political appointments have influenced the work of the Constitutional Commission and the Constitutional Commission has been influenced according to the will of the political leadership," said Khatiwada, "The cooling period Some leaders may not be satisfied. The Chief Secretary and Secretary who you like should be appointed to the Constitutional Commission. However, law-making is not about oneself, but about the future generations. In the
meeting, Chief Secretary Aryal objected to the system of keeping a 'cooling period' for civil servants and not for others. They said that it was not right to keep a 'cooling period' for the chief secretary and secretary but to exempt army and police officers. He did not say that this is a civil bill, not a military or police bill,” said a member of parliament. Law Secretary Sapkota also stressed that there should be no 'cooling period' and General Administration Secretary Panth argued that if employees are not appointed for two years after retiring from the post of Secretary, they will be 'dull'. In the
reply, the parliamentarians argued that the then chief secretary Somlal Subedi, the secretary of the health ministry resigned from the post and became an employee of a foreign organization, the former chief secretary and secretaries got the post of ambassador at the joint secretary level, the then chief secretary Shankardas Vairagi took a political appointment after resigning from the post and created a new post, the constitutional commissions became a club of retired secretaries and argued that they were ineffective. In the
bill, there is a provision that a person who retires from a specific or first-class position in the civil service should not be appointed to different positions for two years after retirement. It has been banned for two years to be appointed to a position other than a constitutional or diplomatic appointment and any other appointment made by the government, to work as an employee or consultant in a project run by an agency other than an intergovernmental or international development partner, to work as an employee or consultant of an organization related to the scope of the existing agency or an organization regulated by such an agency within the last one year of retirement. There is a provision that those who do that will not get service facilities.
