Nepal, July 23 -- A decision taken at a secretary-level meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Govinda Bahadur Karki on Monday not to request the Public Service Commission (PSC) to advertise vacancies for new civil service recruits this year was overturned by the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers (OPMCM) within six hours.

The OPMCM clarified that the commission would continue its regular recruitment process. The swift reversal has turned Chief Secretary Karki's first secretary-level meeting into a subject of public debate.

Every year, around 400,000 to 500,000 candidates prepare for PSC examinations. Of them, about 3,500 are recruited into the civil service. Officials said suspending the recruitment process could have t...