The government has proposed reservation system for excluded groups in provincial civil service jobs only at the time of appointment.

A senior official involved in the drafting of the model Act on Provincial Civil Service told the Post that the reservation quotas will stand only at the time of joining the civil service.

“Those appointed under the reservation quota will not have the same measure for promotion. They will have to compete for job advancement once they enter the service because all promotions will be based on merit,” he said.  

The provision is aimed at promoting meritocracy in bureaucracy and attracting fresh talents.

Suresh Adhikari, spokesperson for the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration, said the one-time reservation system would also provide promotion opportunity for other candidates from the same excluded group. “There have been cases of a single person enjoying the facility several times over while many others from the same community are excluded. One-time reservation system is expected to plug this loophole,” he said.

According to the  Civil Service Act currently in force, 45 percent of the total

vacant posts to be filled through free competition should be reserved for the excluded groups.

The reservation quota has been further broken down, where 33 percent is set aside for women, 27 percent for ethnic minorities, 22 percent for Madhesis, 9 percent for Dalits, 5 percent for disabled, and 4 percent for candidates from the backward regions.

This reservation modality, however, has resulted in one person enjoying multiple reservation opportunities.

In May, the Federal Administrative Restructuring Committee, led by Kashi Raj Dahal, also recommended reviewing the existing quota system and replacing it with one-time reservation system.

The same system has also been proposed in the Federal Civil Service Act. The draft of the model Act on Provincial Civil Service will be a guiding document for provincial governments to prepare the respective Provincial Civil Service Act, officials said.

Besides, the draft has also proposed sending principal secretary from Kathmandu to the provinces. The principal secretary from the Centre would work as a bridge between the federal and provincial governments.

To ensure that this stipulation does not dampen the interest among people to join provincial civil service jobs, the Federal Affairs Ministry has proposed the provision that would allow senior civil servants at the provinces to join federal agencies.

“Such exchange facility will make the provincial civil service more attractive for people,” said Dinesh Thapaliya, secretary at the ministry.