Manpower Planning, Development and Management in the Civil Service of Nepal

Manpower (human resource) planning (जनशक्ति योजना) is the process of making sure the government has the right number of people, with the right skills, in the right place, at the right time. Development means building their skills, and management means using and keeping them well.

1. Need and importance

• Avoids both shortage and surplus of staff.
• Links staff with the goals and programmes of the office.
• Helps plan recruitment, training, promotion and retirement in advance.
• Controls salary cost and makes service delivery better.
• After federalism, it helps distribute staff among federal, provincial and local governments.

2. Process of manpower planning

• Study objectives and work: what the office must deliver.
• Forecast demand: how many staff and what skills will be needed.
• Estimate supply: existing staff, their skills, expected retirements and vacancies (human resource inventory).
• Find the gap: demand minus supply.
• Action plan: recruitment, transfer, training, redeployment or reduction.
• Monitor and review the plan regularly.

3. Organisation and Management (O&M) survey and posts (दरबन्दी)

• The number and level of posts in an office are fixed through an O&M survey (संगठन तथा व्यवस्थापन सर्वेक्षण), which studies the work, workload and structure.
• Approved posts are called darbandi. Creating posts for civil service generally needs the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration (MoFAGA) and the consent of the Ministry of Finance for the financial burden.
• Vacant posts are filled through the Public Service Commission (open competition and internal competition) or by promotion, as the law provides.

4. Manpower development

• Training: induction (pre-service/orientation) training for new staff, in-service and refresher training, and specialised training.
• Training institutions: Nepal Administrative Staff College (NASC), Staff College and training centres of ministries, Provincial Training Academies and other academies.
• Education and study leave: higher study in relevant subjects.
• Job rotation and transfer: to widen experience.
• Mentoring, coaching and on-the-job learning.

5. Manpower management

• Placement: right person for the right job, with a clear job description.
• Performance evaluation: yearly work performance evaluation linked with promotion and reward.
• Motivation: pay, allowances, rewards, recognition, safe workplace and fair promotion.
• Discipline: code of conduct and departmental action under the Civil Service Act.
• Records: personnel records (PIS) kept by the Department of Civil Personnel Records.
• Retention and welfare: insurance, pension, medical facilities, welfare fund.

6. Career development

• A career path shows how an employee can rise from one level to the next by promotion based on seniority, performance evaluation, education and experience.
• Training, transfer and higher responsibility prepare employees for senior roles.

7. Problems in Nepal

• Posts and staff not matched to actual workload; vacancies in remote areas.
• Weak link between training and the job.
• Performance evaluation often formal, not objective.
• Frequent transfers that break continuity.
• Staff adjustment challenges after federalism.

8. Key facts at a glance

9. How this topic is asked in the exam

Objective questions ask the steps of manpower planning, the meaning of darbandi and O&M survey, and the bodies involved. Subjective questions ask about the problems of manpower management in Nepal. Mention vacancies in remote areas, weak link between training and work, and suggest incentives and objective evaluation.