Lawmakers have started lobbying for promotion and added incentives to civil servants who are transferred to work at the local level. This comes on the heels of civil servants’ reluctance to work at the local level, saying they should be given “one level promotion” and “respectable positions” if they were to be transferred to work in local units.

Speaking at a meeting of the State Affairs Committee (SAC) on Wednesday, lawmakers called for revising the draft of Civil Servants Adjustment Bill-2017 so as to include the provision of one level promotion for civil servants who are deputed at the local level. They also sought added incentives for them.

The bill tabled in the Parliament doesn’t have any provision of automatic promotion or incentives.

Lawmakers from various parties including the Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and CPN (Maoist Centre) have registered proposals seeking amendments to the draft bill, demanding a provision of at least one level promotion for officials who are deployed at the local level.

After the two phases of local elections on May 14 and June 28, local governments have been revived across the country except in eight districts of Province 2 after a gap of a decade and a half. The last leg of local elections in Province 2 is scheduled for September 18.

In the 48 proposals that have been registered seeking amendments to the Civil Servants Adjustment Bill-2017, most of the lawmakers have sought one level of promotion and revision in the provision for sacking officials failing to join the new office within 35 days.

“There should be a provision of one level of provision to motivate the officials,” said UML lawmaker Prabha Devi Bajracharya while taking part in the discussions on Wednesday. 

Despite frequent directives from the government, civil servants are refusing to work at the local level demanding a hike in incentives and promotion.

The office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers in June had directed all the ministries to deploy staff in local units. A legal framework for the deployment of staff at the central, provincial and local levels will be set up by the Civil Servants Adjustment Act.

Airing his views during Wednesday SAC meeting, Maoist Centre lawmaker Janak Raj Joshi argued that there must be some incentives to motivate government officials for their deployment in the new setup.

If civil servants are promoted for their deployment at the local level, this will be their second promotion in a decade.

Hundreds of civil servants had got “special promotion” based on Clause 24 (D) of the Civil Service Act.

Some officials, however, say promoting civil servants twice without any competition “is but an illogical idea”.

The bill, which has been drafted as per the spirit of Article 302 of the Constitution of Nepal, is most likely to be tabled in Parliament on Friday for endorsement.