In a bid to expedite reconstruction work and end the protests of administrative nodal points in each village, the government has decided to provide a 50 percent of total salary and other facilities as motivational incentives to Village Development Committee (VDC) secretaries working in quake-affected districts. 

Besides, the secretaries have been promised Rs 250 each day for lunch allowance and additional overtime allowance. Earlier considering the extra efforts they have put in on reconstruction works, the government had decided to provide money for VDC secretaries to purchase motorcycle.

The VDC secretaries have been protesting against the government, demanding 100 percent incentives (of their salary), appointment of secretaries in vacant positions and easing of the aid agreement procedures. 

Their protests were sparked by the National Reconstruction Authority’s decision to provide 100 percent incentive to its staffers after civil servants refused to join the reconstruction body. 

The Ministry of Finance has already given its nod to the proposal tabled by the Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development aimed at increasing facilities for the agitating VDC secretaries. The decision will come into effect immediately after the Cabinet approves it, according to a senior official at the MoFALD. The proposal related to lunch and overtime allowances has yet to be approved by the Ministry of Finance. 

“VDC secretaries are working hard on the ground,” said MoFALD Spokesperson Purnachandra Bhattarai, justifying the decision to provide them additional incentives.

The ministry has put forth several conditions for disbursement of the additional allowance. To qualify for the additional incentives, VDC secretaries have to be stationed in their respective work area; required to report reconstruction related 

activities on time; deliver old-age pension and child pensions, among others to beneficiaries. 

Currently, 575 VDC secretaries are working in 14 districts worst affected by last year’s earthquake, while 125 VDC secretary positions have been vacant for years. 

“We have recently enlisted 37 more positions. The remaining positions will be filled shortly after the trade union election of the civil servants,” said Bhattarai. 

In the absence of elected people’s representatives, VDC secretaries are performing both the political and administrative works. 

The local bodies are running without elected people’s representatives for the last 13 years. 

The absence of VDC representatives in the quake affected districts has largely affected reconstruction works, according to the National Reconstruction Authority. 

“The obstruction from the side of VDC secretaries and their absence in the village has affected reconstruction works,” said NRA Spokesperson Ram Prasad Thapaliya, citing an example of NRA deploying its own staffers to sign aid agreement in Marpak VDCs of Dhading district.