Hundreds of Key Public Posts Remain Vacant in Nepal Months After Mass Removals

Nepal faces a significant governance challenge as hundreds of crucial public service positions remain unfilled months after widespread removals. The vacancies span numerous government bodies, impacting critical sectors and raising questions about the continuity of public administration.

The Landless Squatters’ Problem Resolution Committee, the Problematic Cooperative Management Committee, and the National Planning Commission are among the bodies with multiple vacant member and leadership roles. Positions like Vice-chair of the National Planning Commission and Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal are listed as unfilled, highlighting the depth of the administrative vacuum.

Other key institutions affected include the Bagmati Civilization Integrated Development Committee, Security Printing Centre, Public Service Broadcasting Institution, and the Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT). The Nepal Red Cross Society, Accounting Standards Board, Securities Board of Nepal, and Public Procurement Review Committee also report vacant leadership or member positions.

The article also notes unfilled executive director roles at the Special Structures Operation and Management Development Committee and the Gorkhapatra Corporation. The Kathmandu Valley Development Authority and the Nepal Telecommunications Authority are similarly affected, with vacant commissioner and member seats. The Press Council Nepal and Nepal Electricity Regulatory Commission are also experiencing leadership gaps.

Further down the list, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, Guthi Corporation, University Grants Commission, Investment Board Nepal, and Nepal Oil Corporation have critical leadership positions vacant. Tribhuvan University, the TU Service Commission, Citizen Investment Trust, National Tea and Coffee Development Board, and the Pashupati Area Development Trust are also experiencing staffing shortages. The Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST), Nepal Scouts, Nepal Engineering Council, Shaheed Dashrath Chand University of Health Sciences, and Nepal Sanskrit University are also listed with vacant leadership roles, underscoring a pervasive issue across Nepal's public sector.