KATHMANDU: Prime Minister (PM) Sushila Karki has taken further steps to streamline her advisory and secretariat team. When she assumed office, 20 individuals had been appointed to various positions in the Prime Minister’s Secretariat; however, that number has now been reduced to six.
According to a statement issued by the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, only six positions have been retained: Chief Advisor, Public Relations Advisor, Chief Personal Secretary, Press Coordinator, Personal Section Officer (Photographer), and an unpaid Public Health Expert.
Under the Prime Minister’s Advisor and Secretariat Management Procedure, 2074 (Eleventh Amendment, 208), the Secretariat can maintain up to 66 positions. Previous administrations routinely filled most of these posts.
“We have been operating economically with a team of just 20, instead of the permitted 66 staff. Now, we have streamlined it even further,” said Hemraj Aryal, spokesperson for the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers.
The latest restructuring follows public criticism over the appointment of Sangita Shrestha, the wife of Chief Personal Secretary Adarsh Kumar Shrestha, and other close relatives to the Secretariat. In response to the controversy, Prime Minister Karki dismissed 14 individuals, including Sangita.
The Prime Minister’s Secretariat, however, stated that the Chief Personal Secretary had not made appointments based on personal connections.
Comment