By A Staff Reporter

Kathmandu, Nov. 16: Public administration experts have hailed the decision of the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee of the House of Representatives to propose the mandatory retirement age of the Nepali civil servants 60 years from existing provision of 58 years. The parliamentary committee (of the House of Representatives) Thursday decided to make the extension.
According to Shashi Shrestha, the chair of the committee, extension would be applied for all the civil servants appointed after the implementation of Federal Civil Service Act. She said that the Committee had maintained a consensus on the retirement age based on birth date of the working employees now. "The retirement age and pension will be finalised following the revision," she added.
Bhimdev Bhatta, a public administration expert, is happy with the amendment in the bill. "Extension of retirement age was essential. Through the Public Service Commission we have suggested the government for the revision of the retirement age for several times," he said.
Bhatta viewed that retirement extension was essential because life expectancy in the country has also gone up. In the past, the retirement age was not adjusted despite an increase in the life expectancy of Nepalis. "No other countries have such different age limits for retirement regarding the same kind of job as in Nepal.”
Adjustment of the retirement age of the employees working in the health, civil and legal services is also required, he told The Rising Nepal.
Before this, the retirement age for employees of health, legal and civil service has been

maintained at 60, 65 and 58 years respectively.
In South Asia, the countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh or Sri Lanka had fixed 60 years as the retirement age for their employees.
Bhatta further said that increasing the retirement age was also needed to control government liability on pension. "In recent years, the liability of the government on pension has increased and age extension can help control the government liability," he added.
According to data of the Ministry of General Administration, around 3000 employees receive retirement on age grounds every year.
If the House accepts all revisions made in the "Civil Service Act" in its subject committee, all newly appointed employees would retire at the age of 60 years. Six months will be extended for the working employees according to their birth dates.
For now, the employees who were born in 1961 (2018 BS) will be allowed to remain in jobs for 58 year 6 months and those born in 1962 (2019 BS) to 59 years. Similarly, employees with birth date of 1963 (2020) will be serving for 59 year 6 months and those born in 1964 (2021) and thereafter will remain in service for 60 years.