According to a document acquired by Republica from a Baluwatar source, PM Bhattarai has appointed altogether 44 advisors and staff, thereby setting a new record at the prime minister´s secretariat. [break]
All those appointed by Bhattarai have been receiving monthly salaries ranging from Rs 9,900 to 31,000 from state coffers, depending on their responsibilities.
"This is the highest number of staff and advisors we have ever seen in the PM´s secretariat," said a source working at the secretariat, adding "The gamut of staff at the secretariat contradicts the PM´s repeated formal commitment to austerity in the use of state coffers."
Ex-prime ministers including the late Girija Prasad Koirala, Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Jhalanath Khanal appointed fewer staff and advisors at the PM´s secretariat compared to the incumbent PM.
Records at the PM´s secretariat show that Koirala appointed 22 staff and advisors at the secretariat, Dahal appointed 24, Nepal 23 and Khanal 28. PMs have long been appointing aides for various purposes.
The existing regulations allow the PM to appoint up to 46 staff and advisors at his secretariat. According to the source, former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba had also appointed a large number of staff at his secretariat. The source, however, couldn´t find any document on how many were appointed by Deuba.
"Though the regulations allow the PM to appoint 46 staff and advisors, Dr Bhattarai, who believes in transparency and austerity, shouldn´t have filled almost all the positions," the sourced added. According to the source, the number of positions at the PM´s secretariat was taken to 46 during Deuba´s tenure as PM.
Those appointed at PM Bhattarai´s secretariat hold positions ranging from office assistant, light vehicle driver, accountant, administrative assistant, computer assistant, computer officer and photographer to section officer-level personal secretary, under secretary-level personal secretary, joint secretary-level personal secretary, personal secretary and principal personal secretary.
They all receive salaries with tax deductions from the PM´s secretariat. The total of 44 staff and advisors at PM Bhattarai´s secretariat receive Rs 7,82,000 every month.
The source informed Republica that most of those appointed by the PM have been deployed at various government agencies on special assignment. "Most of them have been asked to furnish progress reports to the PM on the government agencies concerned," the source added.
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