Prime Minister Sushila Karki, who has been praised for conducting peaceful elections, has been embroiled in controversy over her decision to appoint her personal secretary, Adarsh ​​Kumar Shrestha, to the Nature Conservation Trust. On Sunday, as the process of forming a new government after the February 21 election moves forward, Prime Minister Karki nominated Shrestha as the chairperson of the National Nature Conservation Trust.

The Nature Conservation Fund Act, 2030 provides for the custodian of the Prime Minister's Fund. The act states that the custodian can nominate the chairman of its operating committee. Earlier, the then Prime Minister Oli had given the responsibility of the chairman of the fund to the then Minister of Forest and Environment Ain Bahadur Shahi. Based on that, he went to the office and appointed him even after the Gen-G movement, which led to a controversy.

The Gen-G friends were shot while shouting slogans against nepotism and favoritism on the streets, it was for the dream that this country would gradually breathe good governance, not for the Prime Minister to distribute chairs to his people. Defense Bomb-Gen-G Campaigner He had decided to extend the term of Naresh Subedi as the member secretary as the chairman of the fund. A complaint was even filed with the Prime Minister's Office against this. Shahi later resigned as the chairman of the fund. Now, when the leadership is being handed over to the new government, Prime Minister Karki has nominated her personal secretary for the same chairman post.

Prime Minister Karki had said in an interview published in the National News Agency on Sunday that Chief Personal Secretary Shrestha had an unforgettable quality in life. She said that Press Advisor Ram Bahadur Rawal and Shrestha had such qualities, and said, ‘Chief Personal Secretary Shrestha is a court employee. He is also a law student with good knowledge of court working techniques and law. He has worked as a personal assistant to many Chief Justices. Even when I was the Chief Justice, I was a personal assistant. They did the work of 20/25 people in the Secretariat.’

This same Shrestha had earlier come into controversy for appointing his relatives to the Secretariat. At that time, the controversy arose after it was made public that Adarsh ​​had appointed his wife Sangeeta as his personal joint secretary, along with his relative Kamala Shrestha, as well as others. After the controversy, it was said that the secretariat would be streamlined, with only the chief advisor, public relations advisor, chief personal secretary, press coordinator, personal branch officer (photographer) and public health expert (unpaid) remaining. 

Even though Prime Minister Karki took this decision after pressure from Gen-G increased, members including Pradeep Gyawali and Aakriti Ghimire who left the office alleged that they were removed when they demanded Shrestha's resignation. Now that the same Shrestha has been given another opportunity, Nepal Gen-G Front, Gen-G Movement Alliance and others have objected. 

Gen-G Front's Raksha Bam has said that the Prime Minister's decision is against the spirit of the Gen-G movement. “My Gen-G friends were shot in the chest and head while shouting slogans for good governance, against nepotism and favoritism on the streets,” she said. “This was for the dream that the country would gradually breathe good governance, not for the Prime Minister and ministers to distribute chairs in councils, departments or committees as a farewell to their people.”

Gen-G Movement Alliance leader Monica Niraula said that the decision to make Shrestha the chairman of the fund was against the agreement reached with Gen-G. “It is condemnable to make appointments in such an arbitrary and favoritism manner,” she said. “Repeating the old trend of making state bodies a recruiting ground for oneself is an ax to the people and the Gen-G movement.” 

Pradeep Gyawali, a Gen-G leader who previously worked as an expert in the Prime Minister's Secretariat and is currently a central member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), said that the voice of the Gen-G movement is that the state should not be confined within the circle of any limited family, relatives or access. 'Yesterday's government also collapsed due to this arrogance, this arbitrariness and favoritism, people's dissatisfaction had increased, we took to the streets against it,' Gyawali said, 'Now again, the civilian government has to bear the brunt at the last moment, the question of idealism has arisen on the government.'