President issues ordinance, immediately removing 1,594 office-bearers from their posts

On the recommendation of the Cabinet, President Ramchandra Paudel has issued the "Special Provision Ordinance for the Removal of Public Office-Bearers, 2083."

With this move by the government led by Prime Minister Balen Shah, aimed at administrative strengthening and giving new momentum to state bodies, a total of 1,594 office-bearers appointed politically under various laws and structures will be removed from their posts.

Among those removed are six office-bearers, including the Managing Director of Nepal Electricity Authority. Similarly, four from the Kathmandu Valley Development Authority, six from Nepal Water Supply Corporation, and six from the Urban Development Fund have also lost their posts.

Under the Press Council Act, 2048, a total of 10 people, including the nominated chairperson and members, have been removed, while under the Working Journalists Act, 2051, six people, including the chairperson and members, have been removed from office.

Three members of the Public Procurement Review Committee, six under the Competition Promotion and Market Protection Act, and five office-bearers from the Industrial Enterprise Development Institute are also included in this list.

Ten office-bearers, including administrators of the Road Board, Electricity Regulatory Commission, and Nepal Railway, have been removed.

The Balen government has also conducted a major "surgical strike" on financial and regulatory bodies. Eight office-bearers from the Employees' Provident Fund and three from the Citizen Investment Fund have been removed from their posts. Fifteen members from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nepal (ICAN), one from the Securities Board, and three from the Deposit and Credit Guarantee Fund have been removed.

The ordinance has not spared high-ranking officials in the cooperative and investment sectors either. Eight individuals appointed under the Cooperative Act, which regulates the troubled cooperative sector, and four office-bearers from the Public-Private Partnership and Investment Board have been removed.

One official from the Special Economic Zone (SEZ), two under the Insurance Act, and six office-bearers under the Accreditation Act have also lost their posts.

Four individuals appointed under the Nepal Administrative Training Institute Act, 2039, and one under the Local Development Training Institute Act, 2049, will lose their posts. Ten individuals appointed under the Social Welfare Act, 2049, and 14 appointed under the Nepal Engineering Council Act, 2055, are to be removed.

Ten individuals appointed under the Foreign Employment Act, 2064, and three under the Nepal Trust Act, 2064, will have their posts vacated. Five office-bearers under the Act on Investigation of Enforced Disappeared Persons and Truth and Reconciliation Commission, 2071, will also be removed.