September 7 marked this year’s Civil Service Day, an occasion where the government recognises civil servants who have provided exceptional service. However, for the eighth consecutive year, the government has failed to identify a 'best employee' in the civil service.

According to civil service regulations, three categories of awards are meant to be given on Civil Service Day: the ‘Best Civil Servant’ award, the ‘Excellence in Civil Service’ award, and the ‘Civil Service Award’. The government has been distributing all other awards except for the ‘Best Civil Servant’ award.

Rule 116 (a) of the Civil Service Regulations 1993 provisions that the ‘Best Civil Servant’ is to be awarded a cash prize of Rs200,000.

The Ministry of General Administration and Federal Affairs announced the other awards on Saturday. The awards will be presented on the 22nd Civil Service Day, 2025, the ministry said.

Civil Service Day has been celebrated annually since 2004. Despite there being over 68,000 positions across federal, provincial, and local levels, identifying a suitable candidate for the top award has proven difficult. At the federal level alone, there are 51,563 positions, out of which 40 employees were awarded on Saturday.

The Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration stated that 162 names were recommended for this year's awards from various ministries and federal offices. However, none were found eligible for the ‘Best Civil Servant’ award.

In the past, the award has been given to former secretaries Sharda Prasad Trital and Ngahindra Upadhyay. Since 2017, no one has received the ‘Best Civil Servant’ award. The first recipient was Surya Prasad Gautam, who later became embroiled in controversy for allegedly grading his wife's Public Service Commission examination papers himself.

In 2016, the award was given to Shantaraj Subedi. Both Gautam and Subedi have since retired as secretaries. The recurring controversies surrounding the recipients have made the selection process increasingly challenging, a former federal secretary said.

The secretary also mentioned that when the selection committee is unaware of a candidate’s past misdemeanours, or when issues arise after the award is granted, it complicates the process of confirming the best employee.

On Saturday, 10 employees were recommended for the ‘Excellence in Civil Service’ award, and 30 for the ‘Civil Service Award’.

The 10 recipients of the ‘Excellence in Civil Service’ award each received Rs100,000, while the 30 recipients of the ‘Civil Service Award’ were awarded Rs50,000 each.

The recipients of the ‘Excellence in Civil Service’ award include Superintendent Engineer Ram Chandra Dangal from the Public Procurement Monitoring Office in Keshar Mahal, Shankar Bahadur KC from the Office of the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers in Karnali Province, Raju Prasad Guragain from the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, Sagar Mishra from Kageshwori Manohara Municipality in Kathmandu, Chuda Raj Neupane from the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority, and Krishna Sapkota from the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Other recipients include Chiranjivi Nepal from the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration, Asha Rai from the Survey Office in Khandbari, Sankhuwasabha, Bunu Rana from the Koshi Wildlife Office in Sunsari, and Neel Bahadur Purja Magar from the Temperate Horticulture Development Centre in Marpha, Mustang.

The 30 recipients of the Civil Service Award include Mitra Baral, Mohan Rai, Shiv Prasad Chaudhary, Anand Poudel, Ramesh Thing, Kafil Ahmed, Shyam Kumar Yadav, Ganga Datt Bhatt, Sabita Nakarmi, Keshav Raj Pardhe, Ved Prasad Khanal, Prem Kumar Pokhrel, Sheetal Singh Ukheda, Krishna Prasad Poudel, Sushila Singh, Shiluka Linthep, Uday Prakash Limbu, Krishna Bahadur Khatri, Hemanti Saud, Ram Maya Gurung, Pushpa Raj Rijal, Roshani Nepal, Rajendra Prasad Dhungana, Pratibha Kafle, Ganapat Yadav, Chhatta Bahadur Bogati, Hiralal Sunar, Man Bahadur Darai, Janak Mahat, and Tehal Bahadur Jirel.

To be eligible for the ‘Best Civil Servant’ award, an employee must have served in a permanent position for at least 15 years, achieved 100% in performance evaluations for the last five years, not faced any departmental action in the last 15 years, and not have any unresolved personal financial discrepancies during the year of recommendation. They must also have regularly submitted property details.

The selection process is overseen by a committee chaired by the Chief Secretary, with members including a secretary from the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, the Secretary of Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs, another secretary appointed by the government, and a retired secretary also selected by the government. The Secretary of the Ministry of General Administration and Federal Affairs serves as the committee's secretary, and the final decision on the awards is made by the Cabinet based on the committee’s recommendations.