KATHMANDU: The Ministry of Finance announced on Tuesday that the personal secretary facilities previously provided by the state will be withdrawn for most political officials.
The decision exempts the President, Vice President, Prime Minister, Speaker of the House, Chairperson of the National Assembly, provincial chiefs, and ministers of the federal and provincial governments.
All other political officeholders, including parliamentarians, will no longer receive personal secretary services funded by the state.
With this move, former high-ranking officials who had previously enjoyed such state-provided benefits will also see these privileges revoked. Additionally, the ministry has stipulated that each minister and provincial chief may appoint a maximum of three personal secretaries within their offices.
The ministry also stated that press coordination duties will now be handled by official spokespersons within each government body, effectively ending the practice of appointing party-affiliated journalists as press advisors using state resources. Additionally, ministers and provincial chiefs will not have dedicated offices, vehicles, or foreign travel allowances for personal secretariats.
The Ministry has also issued guidelines to temporarily assign permanent civil servants to vacant executive positions in public institutions. Furthermore, purchases of expensive electronics and luxury items are prohibited, and certain programs, such as gas distribution, bicycle distribution, health insurance fees, electricity payments, handpump installations, and sari distribution initiatives, are suspended under the cost-cutting measures.
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