KATHMANDU: The government has formed a high-level committee to study the management of contract employees and review the service benefits provided to them across various ministries and subordinate offices.

The Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives and Federal Affairs said the five-member committee was constituted through a ministerial decision and is chaired by Joint Secretary Dholak Raj Dhakal.

According to the ministry, the committee was formed in line with a Cabinet decision made on July 16, following an organizational and management survey that reduced approved staff positions. The panel has been tasked with examining how to manage contract employees affected by the downsizing, including those currently without approved positions.

The committee includes representatives from the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Federal Affairs, among other government agencies.

The committee has been given 10 days to submit a report with recommendations. It will review the benefits and options available to contract employees who cannot be retained because of a lack of approved positions, recommend minimum service benefits and contractual conditions for future contract appointments, and propose long-term policy options for the sustainable management of contract employees across government institutions.