Kathmandu, Nov 13: Three joint secretaries have returned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after three positions were scrapped as part of a restructuring of Nepal’s diplomatic missions abroad.
According to the ministry’s latest Organisation and Management (O&M) survey, two Minister (Economic) positions at Nepali embassies in India and China were abolished, while the Nepali Consulate General in San Francisco, USA, was closed. The joint secretaries serving in those positions have consequently been recalled.
Those returning to the ministry are Taranath Adhikari and Parbati Aryal of the Nepal Administration Service, and Laxman Khanal of the Foreign Service.
Adhikari was serving as Minister (Economic) at the Nepali Embassy in New Delhi, while Aryal held the same position at the embassy in Beijing. Both posts, which were at the joint secretary level and responsible for economic affairs, were removed under the restructuring.
Similarly, Khanal, who headed the Nepali Consulate General in San Francisco, has returned to the ministry following the decision to close the mission. He belongs to the Foreign Service.
Under the revised O&M structure, the ministry’s total approved positions, including those in subordinate offices, have been reduced from 549 to 532, a net cut of 17 positions. The number of Nepali diplomatic missions abroad has also been reduced from 45 to 41.
During the initial restructuring process, the ministry had proposed scrapping seven joint secretary positions from the Administration Service. The proposed cuts included the two Minister (Economic) posts in New Delhi and Beijing, along with the consul general positions in Hong Kong, Lhasa, Kolkata, Chengdu and Guangzhou.
However, the final decision retained all five consul general positions.
Under the approved structure, only three posts were eliminated: the two Minister (Economic) positions in New Delhi and Beijing, and the head of the Consulate General in San Francisco.
The decision has led all three joint secretaries to report back to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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