Kathmandu: The House of Representatives (HoR) today received the report on the Federal Civil Service Bill, alongside a message from the National Assembly (NA) concerning its amendments. The Bill is significant for the execution of administrative federalism in the nation.
According to National News Agency Nepal, Eakram Giri, the Spokesperson for the Federal Parliament Secretariat, verified that the lower house received the Bill along with the National Assembly’s message and suggested amendments earlier today. The Bill, initially introduced in the HoR, was sent to the National Assembly two months prior, adhering to constitutional protocols. The Constitution mandates that the NA return the Bill to the HoR within two months.
The HoR will now focus solely on the amendments suggested by the NA. A proposal will be presented in the lower house to contemplate the Bill. The HoR has the option to accept the amendments fully, partially, or reject them altogether.
Historically, the recommendations from the National Assembly were usually accepted and advanced. Unless instructed otherwise by the Speaker, the House of Representatives will discuss and decide on the amendments after 24 hours of being tabled. If necessary, there can be a detailed discussion on the amendments from the National Assembly.
The bill, finalized after extensive discussion in the legislation management committee, was passed by the National Assembly yesterday. A long-standing issue regarding the ‘cooling period’ of a two-year wait for appointments to constitutional bodies post-retirement has been addressed. The National Assembly approved the provision concerning the cooling period, which had been debated in the State Affairs Committee of the HoR but was previously omitted.
As per the agreement in the committee, the bill passed by the Upper House includes a mandatory retirement system for employees based on age limits. This dictates that employees will retire at age 58 the year the bill is enacted, at age 59 the following year, and at age 60 from the third year onward. The bill also covers provisions for transferring employees between provinces and local levels, as well as their ranks and levels.