Himal Press 
SURKHET: Local government employees of Karnali Province have started a protest, demanding changes to the draft of the Karnali Province Local Service (Formation and Operation) Act, 2025.
The employees gathered in Birendranagar and began a sit-in outside the Office of the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers on Friday. Their protest, at the end of the fiscal year, has disrupted essential services across the province.
This is not the first time that the local government employees have voiced dissatisfaction with the draft bill. Among others, they have demanded the enactment of an integrated civil service act, recognition of chief administrative officers as local-level employees, removal of the requirement for mutual consent in inter-local-level transfers, and the incorporation of 14 specific amendments into the bill.
Om Prakash Nepali, co-coordinator of the Karnali Province Local Service Employees Network, said the protest became necessary after the government ignored their demands and attempted to pass the bill through intermediaries. He also pointed to confusion over promotion procedures, especially regarding geographical considerations, and highlighted contradictions in the current draft.
The protesting employees are also calling for the inclusion of local-level staff within the definition of the civil service, the removal of age limits for entry into federal, provincial, and local services, and the introduction of provisions for inter-provincial transfers.
“It is unfortunate that we have had to halt service delivery at the end of the fiscal year. The provincial government should feel ashamed that it has come to this,” Nepali added.
