Parliamentary committee directs PSC to cancel controversial vacancy notice

KATHMANDU, June 10: The Parliamentary State Affairs and Good Governance Committee Monday has directed the Public Service Commission to scrape the controversial vacancy advertisement.

The committee, after consulting with the Minister for Federal Affairs and General Administration Lal Babu Pandit, decided to withdraw the recruitment process at local levels concluding it was against the spirit of the constitution.

The PSC on May 29 had published a notice for hiring 9,161 staffers in 515 local bodies in May. However, the notice drew wide criticism from various political parties and social groups including the leaders from ruling Nepal Communist Party, who claimed the recruitment process was against the spirit of federalism and snatched the rights from local governments.

They also demanded a correction in the advertisement accusing the constitutional body of neglecting the concept of proportional inclusive representation.

As per the Article 293 of the Constitution, the committees of the House of Representatives may monitor and evaluate the functioning, including reports, of the Constitutional Bodies, other than the National Human Rights Commission, and give necessary direction or advice.

Concluding that the vacancy advertisement published on May 29 is against the spirit of the constitution, the committee in coordination with the Ministry of Federal Affairs, based on the Article 293 of the Constitution, has directed the PSC to cancel the notice, Committee President Sashikala Shrestha told Nagarik.

The committee has also directed the Ministry to begin the hiring process only after finalizing the vacancy numbers in the local levels.