Kathmandu, July 16Hundreds of people representing indigenous nationalities, women, Madhesis, Dalits, people with disabilities and people from marginalised sections today staged a protest at Maitighar Mandala, demanding that the vacancy announcement to recruit civil servants for local levels be scrapped pronto.The Federal Public Service Commission had published a public notice to hire 9,161 staffers at local levels on May 29.
Its move was criticised for not following the constitutional provision of proportional inclusion.Various Tarai-based parties, Province 2 government and right activists had vehemently criticised the advertisement saying that it was against the spirit of the constitution.Article 227 of the constitution states that matters related to employees of local bodies, village councils and municipalities should be governed by provincial laws.The FPSC, however, said it published the job advertisement on the basis of Employees Adjustment Act, that gave it the authority to recruit employees until the provincial public service commissions were formed.
People staging protest against the FPSC job advertisement shouted slogans against the government and said that it was acting against the spirit of the constitution and federalism.
They also accused the people in power of suppressing indigenous and marginalised communities.Addressing the protesters at Maitighar, lawmaker from Samajbadi Party-Nepal Rajendra Prasad Shrestha said the government had failed to honour the contribution made by the marginalised and minorities for major political changes in the country.The agitating people also said FPSC had not allocated enough quotas for all the clusters that qualify for reservation.
Prior to FPSC job advertisement, local bodies across the country had requested it to hire 14,662 employees for them to run their offices.
Following the request, the commission had started the process to hire 9,161 employees at local levels.
As per the rule, the government has to allocate 45 per cent of total vacant seats for people representing various marginalised groups.
Of the 45 per cent seats, 33 per cent should be allocated for women, 27 per cent for indigenous nationalities, 22 per cent for Madhesis, nine per cent for Dalits, five per cent for people with disabilities and four per cent for people from remote areas.
As per the law, the total number of seats under reservation quota should have been 4,025, but FPSC allocated only 2,262 seats.
Ananda Gupta, a member of Tarai Madesh National Council, said injustice was mainly done to Madhesi people as the FPSC had allocated only 76 seats under Madhesi quota, while it should have been 886.Activists said quota for the indigenous community was reduced by 53 per cent, quota for Dalits by 92 per cent, quota for people with disabilities by 98 per cent, and quota for people from remote areas were reduced by 99 per cent.
Officials of the FPSC, including Chairperson Umesh Mainali and Joint-secretary Kiran Raj Sharma, refused to comment on the issue.The post Hundreds protest against FPSC job notice appeared first on The Himalayan Times.