26 amendments proposed for Karnali Local Services Bill

Surkhet, August 26 — A total of 26 amendments have been proposed to the Bill on "The Formation, Operation, and Conditions of Service of Local Services, 2024," which was introduced by the Karnali Province Government.

Province ministers and provincial assembly members have suggested changes. According to the Provincial Assembly Secretariat, Finance Minister Rajeev Bikram Shah, Social Development Minister Ghanshyam Bhandari, Water Resources and Energy Minister Bijaya Budha, and Industry, Tourism, Forest, and Environment Minister Suresh Adhikari have all proposed amendments.

Additionally, nine assembly members from Congress, seven from the Maoists, and five from UML have proposed amendments. Kalyani Khadka from the Unified Socialist Party has also proposed an amendment.

Chief Minister Yamlal Kandel, who also serves as Minister of Law, introduced the bill related to the professional development of employees working at the local government and the delivery of citizen services.

Article 227 of the Constitution of Nepal states that arrangements related to employees and offices of rural municipalities and municipalities must be in accordance with provincial laws.

According to Chief Minister Yamlal Kandel, the bill is designed to provide the necessary laws to make local services more capable, strong, accountable, professional, fair, and effective by ensuring adequate staffing for service delivery within Karnali Province.

Although implementing this bill may incur some annual expenses at the local level, Chief Minister Kandel notes that local levels in Karnali are already bearing the costs for salaries, services, facilities, and office management for employees working under their jurisdictions.

The bill aims to improve local service management by making staff administration more efficient. It also seeks to ensure that the required manpower for local administration is maintained and to organize service delivery through clear job descriptions and performance standards.

If passed by the provincial assembly and implemented, the bill is expected to help local governments in Karnali hire necessary human resources and provide quality services. It will also impose a ban on illegal appointments at the local level.

UML chief whip in Karnali Province Assembly Tekraj Pachhai stated that some issues need improvement. He mentioned, "Some employees who have been performing their duties for a long time face problems due to the absence of this law, and these issues need to be addressed."

Local employees in Karnali have repeatedly pressured the government to expedite the Local Service Act. Recently, they submitted a letter to Chief Minister Yamlal Kandel, urging the swift introduction of the Local Act, noting that other provinces have already implemented similar laws.

They have requested that the bill be enacted in a manner that does not adversely affect the rights and interests of employees.

Bikram Shahi, coordinator of the Karnali Province Committee of the Local Service Employees Network, emphasized the need for provisions to upgrade employees from the local level, except those appointed by federal and province Public Service Commissions.

What is in the amendment proposals?

Finance Minister Rajeev Shah, Water Resources Minister Bijaya Budha, and assembly members Purna Bahadur Khatri, Janaki Singh, Devendra Shahi, Suresh Adhikari, and Ghanshyam Bhandari have proposed that the position of local civil service should be designated as a permanent role.

 They argue that there needs to be consistency in the definitions of employees, services, and facilities. The Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration and the Local Level Employees Central Struggle Committee have also stated that these definitions should align with the agreement made in November last year.

Mangal Bahadur Shahi has suggested that the term "employee" should refer specifically to permanent employees in local civil service positions, rather than temporary or contract employees.

According to the bill, contract employees cannot be appointed at the local level in Karnali.

Additionally, five UML parliamentarians have proposed an amendment to define "family" as including the employee's spouse, children, adopted children, and any other relatives such as parents or step-parents who live with and are supported by the employee. They recommend that Article 38 (1) of the Constitution be amended to ensure equality and protect women's rights by including in-laws for male and unmarried female employees, and mother-in-law and father-in-law for married female employees.

Most MPs have made amendments on various topics, often in groups.

Extensive discussion on amendments

The Provincial Assembly has conducted extensive discussions on the bill's amendments. These discussions took place during meetings of the provincial affairs committee on Saturday and Sunday.

All trade unions, Municipal and Rural Municipal Federations, participated in the discussions. There has also been broad dialogue with organizations including the official trade union of civil servants in Nepal.

Kalyani Khadka, Chairman of the Provincial Affairs Committee, noted that the discussions are ongoing and complex. "Since this is a complicated matter, it will take another 10 days," she said.