Kathmandu: No sooner had the lower house of the federal parliament, House of Representatives, passed the Civil Service Bill with a provision of a 2-year cooling-off period after a year plus intense debates than it created furor in the wake of tampering with the bill document. In response, Ramhari Khatiwada, Chairman of the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee under the House of Representatives, has requested Speaker Devraj Ghimire today to probe the issues over the changes in the provision of the Civil Service Bill.
According to National News Agency Nepal, Chairman Khatiwada, while speaking to media persons in Singha Durbar premises, stated, “As a new section (5.a) was added as the proviso of Clause 82 (4), Speaker Ghimire was requested to investigate into it.” The Bill passed by the HoR on Sunday had provisioned a 2-year cooling-off period, preventing civil servants from securing constitutional and diplomatic appointments for two years after retirement or registration.
Khatiwada emphasized that anyone involved in tampering with the Bill should face action, pledging that he too will face consequences if found guilty. He further expressed that the Committee had taken the changes made to the cooling-off provision seriously. Khatiwada reiterated, “Parliament is the ultimate body to make law. Those involved in such mistakes warrant investigation and action.”
Meanwhile, the Committee was unable to meet today due to the controversy surrounding the Bill. The Bill is yet to reach the Upper House.