Kathmandu, July 17 -- The government has decided to retain thousands of existing contract employees while halting all new contract recruitments after a controversial outsourcing proposal triggered protests.

The Cabinet on Thursday approved a new framework for managing contract employees. Under the decision, contract workers whose agreements expired at the end of the last fiscal year will be allowed to continue working from July 17 until further notice.

Madan Bhujel, secretary at the Ministry of Land Management, Co-operatives, Federal Affairs and General Administration, told Kantipur that the government would maintain the employment of existing contract staff while a government task force studies a permanent policy for their management....