KATHMANDU, Sep 2: No sooner had lawmakers reached a consensus on the controversial cooling-off period in the Civil Service Bill than a new dispute erupted—this time over the retirement age for civil servants under the new Civil Service Act—putting the fate of the bill in limbo.
At Monday’s meeting of the Legislative Management Committee of the National Assembly, the retirement age issue took centre stage. The bill, already endorsed by the House of Representatives, proposes that civil servants retire at 60. However, the provision includes a phased rollout: employees turning 58 would retire in the first year of enactment, those turning 59 in the following year, and the 60-year benchmark would only be enforced from the third year.
Minister for Federal Affairs and General Administration Bhagawati Neupane proposed that the retirement age be set at 59 from the year the Act comes into effect, rather than starting at 58. She argued that civil servants’ life expectancy and productivity have increased, and that the new retirement provision should be implemented immediately upon enactment. She urged lawmakers to reconsider the decision reached by the committee last week.
Interestingly, Minister Neupane’s stance appeared aligned with the interests of extending the tenure of Chief Secretary Ek Narayan Aryal, along with other high-level officials due to retire upon turning 58. Raising the age to 59 would allow them to remain in office for an additional year.
Opposition lawmakers from the CPN (Maoist Centre) and CPN (Unified Socialist) objected, stating that the National Assembly should endorse the bill as passed by the lower house without alterations. They warned that changing such a key provision after approval by the House of Representatives would set a negative precedent.
Nepali Congress (NC) members argued that the retirement age should start at 59 immediately upon the Act’s enforcement. In contrast, opposition lawmakers insisted that the bill adhere to the lower house’s version, starting at 58. They stressed that altering a crucial provision at this stage would be inappropriate and cautioned against “moving the goalposts” midway.
Others, however, disagreed. NC lawmaker Anand Prasad Dhungana urged pragmatism: “This issue should move ahead as per the government’s proposal. Let’s implement the 59-year retirement age starting from the year the Act is enforced.” UML lawmaker Gopal Bhattarai supported Dhungana, describing the government’s proposal as a convenient path forward.
Lawmakers from the ruling Nepali Congress and CPN-UML largely backed Minister Neupane’s proposal, calling it a practical approach.
With the government required to present the bill to the House of Representatives by September 2, the disagreement over whether the retirement age should begin at 58 or 59 has left the bill in limbo.