Kathmandu, September 2
Recruitment, transfers and promotions at the National Investigation Department (NID), the country’s only intelligence agency, have come to a standstill.
The interview process for candidates who passed the written examination for inspector-level posts has been stalled for more than three months. The Public Service Commission conducted the written examination for the recruitment of investigation officers (inspectors) on March 28.
The commission published the results of the examination on June 7. However, even after three months, the interviews have yet to be conducted. The Public Service Commission Act, 2009, requires the date for the next stage of the examination and interviews to be announced when the results of the written examination are published.
However, three and a half months after the written examination results were made public, the interviews have still not been held. The NID is responsible for conducting the entire interview process. Officials at the agency say the delay is a result of the ongoing process of transferring the agency back and forth between the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Office of the Prime Minister.
During KP Sharma Oli’s tenure as prime minister, the intelligence agency, which was under the Ministry of Home Affairs, was brought under the Office of the Prime Minister. Later, during Sushila Karki’s tenure, it was transferred back to the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The government is now once again in the process of transferring the agency from the Home Ministry to the Office of the Prime Minister. Officials say the ongoing administrative process has also stalled recruitment, transfers and promotions within the agency. Those who passed the written examination for investigation officer posts have been particularly affected.
One of the candidates said the prolonged delay in conducting the interviews has created uncertainty, adding that two candidates have already gone abroad.
