Post Report

KATHMANDU, Sept 19:The Cabinet today appointed Finance Secretary Dr. Bimal Prasad Koirala as the government’s chief secretary for the next three years.

Koirala succeeds Keshab Raj Rajbhadari who retires tomorrow on attaining the retiring age of 58 years.

But the appointment of Koirala is known to have come as a shock to Sri Kanta Regmi, principle secretary at the Prime Minister’s Office who immediately showed his dissent by taking a month’s leave from his office.

Both Regmi and another contender for the post Shambhu Prasad Khanal, secretary at the Election Commission, were actually senior in the government service than Koirala. Both Regmi and Khanal are known to have hinted that they would resign over the matter, according to the close circle of the two.

“The decision has come with a prejudicial motive,” said one of the candidates who wished to remain anonymous. He also told The Kathmandu Post that “it was perhaps for the first time in the history of Nepal’s civil service that the government openly ignored the seniority criteria.”

The Cabinet chose Koirala over Regmi and Khanal “on the basis of his work efficiency”, the Cabinet source said.

According the Civil Service Act, government can appoint a chief secretary from among the senior secretaries. Though the government enjoys exclusive power to appoint the chief secretary, the present appointment could not satisfy the other two contenders.

Meanwhile, the Cabinet Secretariat today held a ceremony to bid farewell the out-going chief secretary Rajbhandari who had attempted two times to persuade the ministers to amend the Civil Service Act with a motive to extend his term in office by two years.