The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has barred its lawmakers from appointing close relatives as personal secretaries, introducing strict internal rules aimed at preventing nepotism.

The directive, issued by RSP General Secretary and lawmaker Bipin Kumar Acharya, lays out the party’s internal standards for the appointment and management of personal secretaries to members of the House of Representatives.

The party said the guidelines are intended to make the recruitment process more transparent, cost-conscious and accountable to the public.

The first and foremost provision of the directive imposes a complete ban on appointing immediate family members or close relatives.

“Appointments must be made in line with the party’s statute and its core principles of good governance. Members of the same household or close relatives are strictly prohibited from being appointed as personal secretaries. Recruitment must take place outside the circle of family and kinship,” the directive states.

The RSP has also set a minimum educational qualification of a bachelor’s degree for the position and instructed lawmakers to promote inclusion while making appointments.

The directive further requires that appointees be free from conflicts of interest and not receive dual salaries or benefits.

“A person appointed as a personal secretary must not be engaged in full-time employment with any government or non-government organisation or be drawing financial benefits from multiple sources,” the directive says. “Candidates must also be free from any conflict of interest that could affect a lawmaker’s official responsibilities.”

The party has instructed its lawmakers to recruit personal secretaries through an open and competitive process.

“The selection of personal secretaries must be carried out through a public call for applications or an open competition,” the directive states. “If any dispute, complaint or question arises regarding an appointment, the party will investigate the matter and make the final decision.”

The guidelines also require lawmakers to regularly evaluate the performance of their personal secretaries and submit the assessment reports to the party’s parliamentary party.

The RSP has additionally prohibited lawmakers from withholding or deducting any portion of the salary and benefits that personal secretaries receive from the state under any pretext. Such action will be treated as a serious financial violation, the directive says.

The move comes after the government decided to provide every federal lawmaker with a state-funded personal secretary at the level of a section officer in the civil service. With lawmakers now beginning the appointment process, the RSP, the largest party in the House of Representatives, has become the first major party to issue detailed internal rules governing how those appointments should be made.