HoR receives Civil Service Bill with amendments

KATHMANDU: The National Assembly has sent a report with amendments to the Federal Civil Service Bill, which directly relates to the country’s administrative federalism.

According to Federal Parliament Secretariat spokesperson Ekram Giri, the report containing the National Assembly’s amendments was sent to the House of Representatives today after completing the necessary procedures.

The bill was initially introduced in the House of Representatives and sent to the National Assembly with amendments two months ago. It was returned to the House of Representatives within the constitutionally mandated two-month period.

The House of Representatives will now discuss only the clauses amended by the National Assembly that differ from the original version. The report will be presented for a decision, and the House will consider it. During this process, the House of Representatives may accept or reject some or all of the National Assembly’s amendments.

In the past, suggestions from the National Assembly have generally been accepted. Barring any other order from the Speaker, the bill will be tabled for discussion at a House of Representatives meeting 24 hours later and presented for a decision on the amendments.

The bill, which underwent extensive discussions in the Legislation Management Committee, was passed by the National Assembly yesterday. A particularly contentious issue was the cooling-off period for government employees, which would require them to wait two years before being appointed to a constitutional body after retirement.

The National Assembly accepted this cooling-off period provision, which was a point of contention in the House of Representatives’ State Affairs Committee.

The bill also includes provisions for inter-provincial and local-level transfers, as well as a progressive retirement age. According to the committee’s agreement, the mandatory retirement age will be 58 in the year the bill is authenticated, 59 the following year, and 60 from the third year onwards. The bill also incorporates provisions regarding different service categories and levels.