The ministerial cabinet on September 8, 2023, Friday approved the ‘Federal Civil Service Formation and Operation Bill 2080’ (संघीय ‘निजामती सेवाको गठन, सञ्चालन र सेवाको शर्तसम्बन्धी विधेयक, २०८०). The bill proposes to create a new ‘Information Technology Service’ group (सूचना प्रविधि सेवा) within the civil service.
The new ‘Information Technology Service’ group will allow direct recruitment of IT professionals into specialized IT positions in the government. Currently, IT human resources are filled from the miscellaneous services (नेपाल विविध सेवा), which limits their career prospects and opportunities.
Talking about the formation of IT Service group, Minister for Communication and Information Technology, Rekha Sharma said,
The IT Service group has been included in the Federal Civil Service to attract IT professionals into the civil service. The service will have cadres like IT generalists, hardware, software, networking, database, cybersecurity, system administration, and programming.
Rekha Sharma, Minister for Communication and Information Technology
Despite the growth in the use of digital systems, the lack of a dedicated IT service has limited career opportunities for IT professionals in the civil service. IT personnel have long called for service specialization and more promotional avenues.
According to government data, 3086 IT employees are working in Government services. They include 3 Joint Secretaries, 30 Under Secretaries, 402 Officers, and 242 fourth-level and 2410 fifth-level IT staffs.
Organizing skilled human resources will be key to achieving Digital Nepal’s goals. The IT service aims to enable specialized recruitment, capacity building, and leadership in technology projects within the public sector instead of over-reliance on external consultants.
Furthermore, it will provide more opportunities for career growth and specialization for IT personnel who are currently working under the ‘miscellaneous services’. They will be able to focus on their areas of expertise and interest, such as hardware, software, networking, database, cybersecurity, system administration, and programming.
The bill approved by the Cabinet will now be presented in Parliament. Once passed and authenticated, it will formally establish the new ‘Information Technology Service’ group (सूचना प्रविधि सेवा).
It is a positive step by the Nepal government to establish a separate IT Service group under the federal civil service. This will surely help to attract and retain qualified IT professionals in the government job who can contribute to the development of digital systems and services in the country.
Note: You can read the bill [here]
