Prime Minister Balendra Shah’s push to overhaul Nepal’s bureaucracy has triggered growing unease among civil servants, with incumbent and former officials warning of declining morale, deepening mistrust and uncertainty over the future of the country’s administrative system.

A proposed Civil Service Bill that would force retirement at 55 years of age or after 30 years of service could send nearly 10,000 civil servants home before they reach the existing retirement age. At the same time, bureaucrats say political advisers and members of the prime minister’s secretariat are bypassing formal administrative channels and issuing instructions directly to senior officials, eroding long-established institutional norms.

The tensions date back to the Shah’s first meeting with government secretaries after taking office on March 27.

“Until now, you have worked in the interest of the people’s representatives, not the people,” he had said during the meeting. “Let that not happen anymore.”

For many of the senior bureaucrats assembled at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers for the customary introductory meeting, the remarks sounded less like a call for reform than a sweeping rebuke of the entire civil service.

A secretary who attended the meeting said Shah questioned the bureaucracy’s commitment to public service, accused officials of hiding behind laws and regulations to avoid work, and warned those unable to keep pace with his administration to step aside.

“You passed the Public Service Commission exams, and the ministers today are also educated. Do not try to teach us,” the secretary quoted Shah as saying. “Do not shirk responsibilities or try to lecture ministers by citing laws and rules.”

For career civil servants, whose work is governed by legal and procedural requirements, the message suggested that compliance with laws and regulations was being treated as resistance rather than due diligence.

Several officials who spoke to Kantipur said Shah’s insistence that bureaucrats either “match our speed or clear the way” left little room for professional advice or institutional checks.

Four months into the new administration, officials say the relationship between the political leadership and the bureaucracy has deteriorated further.

While the government has introduced measures such as performance-based incentives and modest salary adjustments, many civil servants say these have been overshadowed by a series of decisions that have fostered uncertainty over careers, weakened morale and deepened mistrust.

Officials cite several developments as evidence of what they describe as Balendra Shah administration’s increasingly hostile approach towards the civil service.

These include the dissolution of civil service trade unions, the arrest of senior officials in cases initiated from the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, the appointment of Govinda Bahadur Karki as chief secretary by superseding several more senior officials, and what many viewed as a breach of protocol when outgoing chief secretary Suman Raj Aryal’s official farewell was conducted by political adviser Asim Shah instead of the prime minister.

The proposed Civil Service Bill has further heightened anxiety.

Although it has yet to be registered in Parliament, the draft proposes mandatory retirement once civil servants reach either 55 years of age or complete 30 years of service.

Officials estimate that the measure would affect most serving secretaries, around 260 joint secretaries, more than 700 under-secretaries and close to 10,000 civil servants across the public sector.

At the same time, the government’s rightsizing drive has fuelled concerns over job security.

Under directives issued by the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, ministries have been instructed to carry out Organisation and Management surveys to reduce staffing levels.

Officials involved in the process say the prime minister’s office has rejected several ministry proposals that justified existing staffing needs.

“Instead of rationalising the civil service, the administration is enforcing forced downsizing,” a joint secretary said. “Key divisions and positions are being cut arbitrarily, leaving a large number of employees without defined responsibilities.”

The official said ministries had identified staffing requirements based on service delivery needs, but those recommendations were disregarded.

Civil servants also question how the government expects ministries to meet ambitious public service targets while simultaneously reducing manpower.

The administration has promised services such as citizenship certificates and land ownership documents within 15 minutes, but officials say those commitments are becoming increasingly difficult to meet as posts are abolished and resources reduced.

The government has described its first year as a period of structural reform focused on improving public service delivery, expanding digital governance and strengthening fiscal discipline.

Many bureaucrats say those objectives cannot be achieved by weakening the institutions responsible for implementing government policy.

“You cannot expect results from a civil service that is operating in fear and has lost confidence,” a serving secretary said. “If the government wants better performance, it must build trust rather than create uncertainty.”

Another major source of resentment is what officials describe as the growing influence of the prime minister’s informal team inside Singha Durbar.

Serving and former officials told Kantipur that political advisers and members of the prime minister’s secretariat routinely communicate directly with secretaries, seek prior clearance for important decisions and intervene in matters traditionally handled through the formal chain of command.

“In the past, political advisers were criticised for interfering in government decisions,” said a former Cabinet secretary. “Today that interference has become institutionalised. Secretaries are taking instructions directly from subject advisers. It goes beyond the bad precedents of the past.”

Officials say the changing power structure became particularly visible during the seven weeks when the Ministry of Home Affairs operated without a minister after Sudan Gurung resigned.

Between April 22 and June 9, Prime Minister Shah retained the home portfolio. However, ministry sources said day-to-day coordination was largely handled through his secretariat rather than by the prime minister himself.

According to officials familiar with the ministry’s operations during that period, the home secretary rarely met the prime minister directly and instead briefed members of the prime minister’s informal team on sensitive internal security matters.

Former secretary Gopinath Mainali said such practices weaken the state’s institutional capacity.

“Placing political advisers and members of the personal secretariat above the formal administrative structure sends a clear message that the government does not trust its own civil service,” Mainali said. “The bureaucracy remains the state’s primary instrument for implementing policy. Undermining it inevitably weakens governance.”

Civil servants say the atmosphere of mistrust has intensified under a series of disciplinary measures and administrative reforms that they believe have created a culture of fear across the state machinery.

One of the strongest indicators, they argue, is the sharp rise in disciplinary action over the past three months.

The National Vigilance Centre recommended action against 6,682 officials during the last quarter of fiscal year 2025-26, mostly for late attendance. The figure exceeds the 5,937 disciplinary actions recommended during the entire previous fiscal year (2024-25).

Officials say the increase reflects a growing emphasis on surveillance rather than administrative reform.

“We are not opposed to accountability,” said one senior official. “But when every action is viewed through the lens of punishment, officials become more concerned about protecting themselves than solving problems.”

Civil servants also point to increased scrutiny of their personal finances.

Although public officials are already required to submit confidential annual asset declarations under existing laws, the government has directed both serving and retired bureaucrats to file additional disclosures with a newly formed investigative commission.

Several officials said the move has reinforced the perception that the administration views the bureaucracy with suspicion rather than as a partner in governance.

At the same time, career progression has stalled.

Promotions to the rank of secretary have been frozen since December 2025, leaving dozens of joint secretaries waiting for advancement and creating uncertainty within the senior bureaucracy.

Officials say the prolonged delay has disrupted the normal promotion cycle and weakened morale among officers who have spent decades in public service.

The uncertainty has also spread to support staff.

Last month, a draft task force proposal under the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers was made public before receiving government approval. It recommended outsourcing positions such as drivers, computer technicians and office assistants to private companies.

The proposal triggered protests by employees inside Singha Durbar, forcing the government to suspend the plan.

Although the proposal has been put on hold, contractual employees say uncertainty over their jobs persists. They argue that plans to dismiss them without guaranteeing alternative employment contradict the government’s pledge to reduce unemployment.

Former secretary Kedar Neupane said the cumulative effect of these measures has been to make officials increasingly reluctant to take decisions.

“Officials have retreated into a survival mindset,” Neupane said. “They do the bare minimum and avoid taking risks.”

He warned that excessive political interference and a lack of confidence in the permanent bureaucracy could weaken the state’s ability to function effectively.

“The bureaucracy is the permanent institution of the state,” he said. “It is dangerous to sideline it in favour of unsworn individuals who hold neither legal authority nor formal accountability. The government must restore confidence and work through the established administrative system.”

Serving officials echoed that concern, saying the civil service cannot function effectively if officers fear disciplinary action for every decision or believe formal procedures are being bypassed.

“The government can introduce reforms, improve accountability and demand better performance,” one secretary said. “But those reforms must strengthen institutions, not weaken them. Without trust between the political leadership and the bureaucracy, governance ultimately suffers.”

Pratibha Rawal, minister for Land Management, Cooperatives, Federal Affairs and General Administration, however, claims that the administration’s reforms are intended to improve efficiency, accountability and service delivery rather than target civil servants.

“Bureaucracy needs reform to make it more efficient and disciplined,” Rawal told Kantipur. “As the departmental minister, I am the guardian of all employees and assure that no one will face injustice.”

She added that wrongdoers will be punished and deserving employees rewarded. “Those who have done wrong may naturally feel afraid,” she said. “But honest civil servants have nothing to fear.”