Kathmandu — The Government of Nepal has implemented a new policy removing personal secretaries assigned to various officials of the Federal Parliament. The decision affects positions ranging from the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Vice Chairperson of the National Assembly to committee chairs and party whips.
The government amended the schedule of the Remuneration and Facilities of Officials and Members of the Federal Parliament Act, 2073 (2016) to eliminate the provision of personal secretaries. With this amendment, lawmakers will no longer be entitled to personal secretaries equivalent to gazetted second-class officers.
Impact on the House of Representatives and National Assembly
Since the House of Representatives is currently dissolved, the change affects only Deputy Speaker Indira Ranamagar. Although her personal secretary’s position has been scrapped, she will continue to receive the services of a computer operator, two office assistants, and two drivers.
In contrast, the National Assembly has seen a broader impact. A total of 58 lawmakers have lost their personal secretaries under the new provision, including Vice Chairperson Bimala Ghimire, committee chairpersons, and party whips. Previously, lawmakers were entitled to personal secretaries equivalent to officer and under-secretary levels.
Implementation of the Legal Amendment
The Cabinet had decided on October 21 (Ashoj 5) to remove the provision of personal secretaries without amending the core law. Based on that decision, the schedule of the Act was revised, and the new rule officially came into effect on October 18 (Kartik 2).
However, the privileges of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Chairperson of the National Assembly, and other parliamentary secretariat officials remain unchanged.
