Paudel appointed Acting Chief Secretary amid sharp division in ruling coalition

The government on Sunday appointed Lilamani Paudel as the acting chief secretary.

A cabinet meeting held this afternoon at Singha Durbar appointed secretary Paudel as the senior-most bureaucrat of the country amid severe differences among the ruling coalition partners – UCPN (Maoist) and Madhesi parties in the government.

After a marathon five-hour meeting between coalition partners, a Cabinet meeting held after 12 pm appointed Paudel to the post. He will assume office on August 6.

Earlier, Prime Minister Dr. Baburam Bhattarai had proposed the name of Paudel, who is also secretary at PMO, while the Madhesi parties in the government had rooted for Secretary Umakant Jha. Jha belongs to the Madhesi community.

Outgoing Chief Secretary Madhav Ghimire has gone on customary leave from today. Nepalnews.com