SOE Top Jobs on ‘Sale’


The race has begun to grab the top jobs at Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) and Dairy Development Corporation (DDC), two state-owned enterprises known for massive corruption. Sources said that Dr Krishna Prasad Dulal, one of the NEA Board of Directors, is doing everything at his disposal to get appointed to the post of NEA Executive Director which remains vacant after the resignation of Deependra Nath Sharma.

According to a highly-placed NEA official, Energy Minister Post Bahadur Bogati has been offered a whopping Rs 130 million to appoint the NEA Executive Director. Bogati has already taken the proposal to appoint Dulal as the next NEA Chief to the Cabinet, the official informed. Breaking with the tradition of the Energy Minister being the ex-officio Chairman of NEA, erstwhile Energy Minister Gokarna Bista had started the practice of appointing the Energy Secretary as the Chairman. Bista had also started the practice of appointing NEA's Executive Director through free competition, not through political appointments. "However, the current Energy Minister Bogati wants to revive the old traditions," said a joint secretary at the Ministry of Energy.

Similarly, Minister for Agriculture Nandan Kumar Dutta has been offered a hefty sum to dismiss the current DDC General Manager Ajab Lal Yadav and make a new appointment, according to a source. "The minister has been offered Rs 5.1 million to Rs 8 million for the post. He has even accepted Rs 1 million as the advance payment from a person," said a DDC official. Despite repeated attempts, Minister Dutta was not available for a comment on the allegation.


Minister Dutta who represents Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (Ganatantrik) in the government, could not take the proposal to change the DDC General Manager to the Cabinet as his party's Chairman and Minister for Information and Communications, JP Gupta was on a trip to South Korea. Minister Gupta told Abhiyan that the issue reached him soon after he returned from the trip. "Dutta has told me that he has found it difficult to work with DDC General Manager Yadav. I never felt so when I was the Agriculture Minister. In my absence, Dutta even went on to seek a clarification from Yadav. I am soon going to ask him (Dutta) about the alleged financial give and take in this story," said Gupta.