Kathmandu, Nov. 7 -- The government's recent move to remove personal secretaries assigned to lawmakers as part of its austerity measures has drawn dissatisfaction from office-bearers of the Federal Parliament and all seven provincial assemblies. Under the revised provisions of the Remuneration and Facilities of Office-Bearers and Members of Federal Parliament Act, 2016, the personal secretary privilege for MPs has been scrapped. The facility has been retained only for the Speakers of the House of Representatives and provincial assemblies, and for the Chairperson of the National Assembly. With this change, personal secretaries for 875 lawmakers have been discontinued.

The Federal Parliament comprises 59 members in the National Assembly an...