Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli took a briefing from secretaries of all the ministries on Sunday.

After being appointed the prime minister on July 15, Oli convened his first meeting with the secretaries to learn about their ministries, in the presence of ministers.

Officials from the National Planning Commission and heads of the security agencies also attended the meeting.

The secretaries updated Oli on the situation and functioning of their respective ministries, said Pradip Yadav, the minister for water supply and sanitation.

“Every secretary spoke for around 10 to 15 minutes, informing the prime minister about the problems facing the ministries and their future plans,” Yadav told the Post. “The secretaries of developmental ministries [such as the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport] stressed the need for sufficient budget and difficulties in the procurement process while some called for bringing laws up to date with the constitution.”

The secretaries complained about the cumbersome procurement process. The agriculture secretary raised the problem of chemical fertilisers, Minister Yadav said.

The two secretaries who participated in the discussion with the prime minister told the Post, requesting anonymity, that they now await a set of instructions from the prime minister.

They, however, added that there is no dearth of such instructions from the head of government. “What the bureaucracy needs instead is confidence and favourable work conditions,” a secretary told the Post on the condition of anonymity.

“There is a situation in which our friends [civil servants] have to face corruption cases just for working as instructed by the ministers,” the secretaries told the Post. “There is no such ministry at present to which the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has not issued a letter of inquiry.”

The government mostly fails to provide chemical fertilisers to farmers when they need it for paddy plantation. The agriculture secretary said that the ministry had failed to supply the farm inputs due to procurement hassles.

The secretary at the water supply ministry, headed by Yadav, drew the prime minister’s attention to the fast depleting aquifer as an impact of climate change. “Underground water has dried up in many parts of Madhesh Province and the people there are facing a lack of drinking water,” Yadav said.

Minister Yadav said that after studying the secretaries’ statements, the prime minister will issue instructions on Tuesday. Then, the government will plan the work for the current fiscal year accordingly.

All the ministers, except for Minister for Information and Communication Prithvi Subba Gurung and Minister for Youths and Sports Tejulal Chaudhary, were present during the briefing. Chaudhary has gone to France for the Olympic ceremony while Gurung had another event to attend.