KATHMANDU, Aug 27: The National Assembly’s Legislative Management Committee has advanced the Federal Civil Service Bill to include a cooling-off period for government employees.
Currently under clause-by-clause discussion, the committee has focused on clearly including the cooling-off period mentioned in Clause 82, even though discussions have reached Clause 10. The proposed provision requires a minimum two-year cooling-off period for government employees who resign or retire.
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While the CPN-UML has opposed the move, the provision is expected to pass with support from the Nepali Congress, CPN (Maoist Centre), and the CPN (Unified Socialist). A committee member said the language of the two-year cooling-off period will be clarified, with minor adjustments in staffing arrangements.
The National Assembly is expected to return the bill to the House of Representatives by September 2. Committee Chair Tulsa Kumari Dahal said most provisions passed by the House will remain unchanged.
In Wednesday’s meeting, the committee also agreed to retain 10 percent open competition for the position of undersecretary. The House had previously removed the open competition clause when passing the bill, although the original draft had included it. Similarly, proposals to fill positions in the National Administrative Staff College (NASC) through open competition have been considered by the committee, despite the House blocking it earlier.
