Nepal Airlines Board Appointments Under Scrutiny Amid Allegations of Irregularities

Kathmandu. The appointment to the post of Nepal Airlines Corporation's board member has been embroiled in controversy. The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation had decided to appoint Dr. Deepak Prasad Bastola of Kaski, Pravin Bhattarai of Chitwan, Maheshwar Bhakta Shrestha of Lalitpur, Rupa Lamichhane of Kathmandu, and Lilaraaj Dhakal of Syangja to the board of directors on Jestha 31.

The appointment, made by a ministerial decision of the concerned minister Khadak Raj Poudel (Ganesh), has become controversial. It is alleged that Minister Poudel manipulated the process to select 5 individuals out of 27 competitors, and a complaint has been filed at the Prime Minister's Office and Council of Ministers.

Regarding the decision to appoint the 5 individuals, a notice issued by the ministry's joint secretary Jayaraj Acharya stated that the selection was made after examining educational qualifications and experience, business action plans, presentations, and interviews. However, the complaint states that the minister disregarded the marks obtained in the open competition and made arbitrary decisions, thereby mocking good governance.

An application for the post of Nepal Airlines Corporation's board member was called for in Gorkhapatra on Jestha 12, 2083.

Despite the current government being formed with the objective of establishing good governance following the Gen Z movement, the ministry's appointment of board members based on manipulation has raised questions about the government's commitment to good governance, as stated in the complaint registered at the Prime Minister's Office.

The complaint states, 'I humbly request the Prime Minister to make the detailed results, including the marks obtained by the concerned candidates, public by embracing the spirit of transparency, impartiality, and good governance, and to proceed with the appointment process only after necessary investigation.' It is claimed that Prime Minister Balen Shah has been briefed on this matter and an internal investigation is underway.

According to sources, the 24 applicants were made to participate in the interview and business action plan presentation on Jestha 27, as per the notice issued on Jestha 25. The complaint claims that those who received low marks in the presentation were appointed based on manipulation.

When appointing board members, marks are allocated as follows: 4 marks for educational qualifications, 4 marks for experience, 15 marks for business action plans, and 15 marks for presentations. Similarly, 10 marks are allocated for the interview. This provision is stipulated in the Nepal Airlines Corporation Act, 2019, and its regulations.

Minister Poudel had previously stated publicly that board positions would be filled based on merit and capability. However, allegations have surfaced that the appointments were made through manipulation. When contacted for a reaction on this matter, Minister Poudel was unavailable.

However, the ministry's spokesperson, Jaynarayan Acharya, claimed that the appointment was made entirely on merit.

He clarified on Sunday morning to RatoPati that there was no political interference or nepotism of any kind in the appointment made on Jestha 31. Acharya stated, 'Legally, the Honorable Minister has the authority to directly appoint anyone to the board. There was no mandatory provision to go through an open competition. However, this time we have adopted a completely transparent and impartial process by going through open competition.'

According to him, the action plans of the candidates participating in the appointment process were evaluated confidentially by experts. 'Those who emerged as excellent in the evaluation of action plans by the expert team have been appointed based on merit,' he added.

When asked about the complaints filed at the Prime Minister's Office and other bodies regarding the appointments, he responded that they were meaningless. He said, 'Filing a complaint is one thing, but this appointment is completely procedural, transparent, and merit-based. There is no problem with it.'

The ministry claims that qualified individuals have been selected to save the declining reputation of Nepal Airlines and to give momentum to the organization.