The Government of Nepal has announced that ministries and government agencies will not be allowed to request permanent recruitment through the Public Service Commission (PSC) without prior approval from the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers (OPMCM).

The decision comes as the government moves ahead with its administrative reform program, under which the number of federal ministries has been reduced from 22 to 18. Officials say the process of restructuring organizations and adjusting staff positions is now in its final stage.

According to a statement issued by OPMCM spokesperson Hemraj Aryal, an Organization and Management (O&M) Survey is currently being conducted to determine the organizational structure and staffing requirements of newly formed and merged ministries and their subordinate agencies.

The government noted that once the survey is completed, some existing positions may be abolished, while certain employees could become surplus if the number of approved positions is reduced.

To effectively manage surplus employees and complete staff adjustments, the secretaries' meeting decided that no ministry or government body may submit requests for permanent recruitment to the Public Service Commission without prior approval from the Prime Minister's Office.

The statement further clarified that after surplus staff have been reassigned and the O&M survey establishes the final approved organizational structure, vacant positions will be filled through the regular Public Service Commission recruitment process as required.

The government said the measure is intended to ensure efficient human resource management, streamline the federal bureaucracy, and improve administrative efficiency following the restructuring of ministries.