Vehicle directive: secretaries get Rs 6 million car loans, interest state-paid; RSP MP objects

A draft directive has been prepared under which government employees would be able to take loans to buy cars registered in their own name, with the entire interest to be paid by the government. The directive, titled the Vehicle Management Directive, 2083, has been prepared by the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers and will take effect after Cabinet approval.

Its stated purpose is to reduce the large expenditure on purchasing and operating vehicles from the state treasury and to prevent misuse of government vehicles.

According to the draft, the chief secretary and secretaries will be eligible for loans of up to about Rs 6 million, joint secretaries about Rs 5 million, and under-secretaries about Rs 4 million. Section officers will get about Rs 400,000 for two-wheelers, and gazetted unranked and assistant-level employees about Rs 200,000. Employees must repay the principal within 20 years.

Employees who buy vehicles this way will not be allowed to use government vehicles, though this restriction will not apply to designated posts such as chief district officers and chief administrative officers.

The chief secretary, secretaries and joint secretaries will have the option of either keeping a driver or driving the vehicle themselves. If they choose to drive themselves, an amount equal to the starting salary of a light-vehicle driver will be added to their monthly salary. Currently, such a driver's starting salary is about Rs 26,000 to Rs 29,000 a month.

Rastriya Swatantra Party MP Tika Sangraula has objected to the proposal, saying it would take away drivers' jobs.