Ministry of Federal Affairs and General AdministrationKathmandu, May 18
Though the government has reduced the number of ministries and merged them into few ones as it began implementing the new federal system under the 2015 constitution, it is yet to restructure various departments that have been working under different ministries.
Even after decentralisation of power and delegation of rights from central to local and provincial governments, the number of departments has not decreased.
Earlier, a committee formed to suggest changes in the bureaucratic structure had concluded that the number of departments and offices for the central government should be reduced. However, the government is yet to implement them.
As many as 53 departments and organisations under the federal government will remain intact in the new system too. Of them, 34 departments have already been approved whereas the structure of remaining 19 organsiations will be presented in the Cabinet meeting soon.
There are currently 21 ministries at the centre. Experts view that even 21 ministries are more than necessary.
“Those ministries that have been handed over to the local and provincial governments should be scrapped at the central level and remaining should be merged,” they suggest.
“Tasks of departments including those responsible for drinking water, tourism, forest, agriculture, among others have already been handed over to the local level. Such departments should be scrapped, and departments working in similar field should be merged,” they claim.
