KATHMANDU: In a significant move toward bureaucratic reform, the government has announced a nationwide ‘Zero Pending File Week,’ set to run from April 13 to April 20.
The Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers (OPMCM) issued the ‘Zero Pending File Week Campaign Operation Guidelines’ on Friday, mandating all government offices to clear backlogs and streamline decision-making.
The campaign aims to put an end to the culture of table-hopping files and unnecessary delays where administrative notes and applications languish at various levels of bureaucracy. According to the OPMCM, the initiative is designed to ensure that files to be implemented at lower levels are not unnecessarily forwarded to higher authorities, thereby preventing service delivery bottlenecks.
The guidelines introduce a strict tracking and review mechanism. Any file remaining on a single desk for more than three days will trigger an automatic review by the branch head.
If a file is stalled for more than seven days, the Division Head or Office Chief must intervene to identify the cause of the delay, assign responsibility, and set a definitive deadline for resolution. For files pending over 15 days, a specialized review process will be applied to determine whether the request is to be approved or rejected.
To ensure transparency, every unit within a government office is now required to maintain a daily tracking sheet. This record must include the registration number, subject, registration date, current location of the file, the number of days it has spent at that specific desk, and the expected date of decision. Each office will form a Coordination Committee, led by the Office Chief, to monitor progress throughout the week.
The government has also linked performance with accountability. Employees who effectively implement the campaign and clear backlogs are eligible for praise, certificates, or incentives.
Conversely, the guidelines state that any official found intentionally withholding files or avoiding responsibility will face departmental action in accordance with prevailing laws. The OPMCM expects this move to significantly reduce the volume of pending tasks and foster a more accountable administrative culture across the country.
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