The Reality of the PSC Life

 GAPS or in other words, Gulmi, Argakhachi, Palpa and Syangja, are the districts with an obsessive craze over going to the Public Service Commission(PSC) and getting a government job. It is an unofficial but quite popular term, but here is why the obsession is more of a delusion for the innocent and a source of corruption for the others. 

The competition to get a government job is insane, for barely 10-15 openings we see thousands of candidates apply, and the top of the top and the most skilful and knowledgeable individuals are selected for working even at the lowest levels for the craze the job has.

The highest post in a government office(the Chief Secretary) has a salary of NPR. 77,211/- per month pre tax + “Benefits”. On 16th July 2021, the government increased the salary of government employees by Rs. 2000/- which is a 2.59% increase, the inflation rate that year was 3.6% not even meeting the bare minimum. Though a 1% increase might not sound much, 1% to 77,000 in 30 years is over 1.04 lakhs. This is for the highest post available from PSC in Nepal. 

According to the Numbeo web community, the Living Cost of the Average Family of 4 is about NPR. 171,495/- meaning at least two members of the household should be working at the Highest Post in Government Offices without paying any taxes to just be average. This is absurd. Has anyone ever considered why the salaries the government pays its employees have to be taxed?  

 An average house 500m away from Golfutar of 4.5 Anna costs Rs. 32 million. Again if we take into account the Salary of a Chief Secretary(not the Nayab Subbas or Kharidars) it takes 444 months to just earn that amount which is over 37 years, forget the fact that we are running at net negative every month due to inflation. Additionally, according to Nepal Rastra Bank, Real estate prices are rising by 27.7% every year meaning they double once every 3.5 years.

*Source: examsanjal.com*

Now let's talk about the so-called “benefits” and for this, we shall take the example of the highest official and legal pay given out by the government, the CEO of Nepal Rastra Bank, with a mind-blowing salary of Rs. 5.4 million a year(FY 2021/22). The CEO of Prabhu Bank, had an annual pay package of Rs. 40 million, almost 8 times more. The very dreaded pension that individuals run after provides 50% of the already minimal salary. If the extra money Prabhu’s CEO earns in a year is put into a Fixed Deposit with a return of 8% he only needs 2 years' worth of Salary to match Rastra’s CEO’s Salary and only a year to match the pension. Cash benefits are always gonna create more flexibility in a person’s life compared to transportation or other benefits. The government-provided vehicle and driver cost an additional 66733.33 a month(30 lakhs loan for 12% and 5 years) and Rs. 25000/- per month respectively. A person can choose not to have this car and save up the amount with a 2-wheeler instead but government officers aren’t given that facility. After so much hard work and finally getting a car from your office, a government officer cannot even use that vehicle for personal use and needs to buy one anyways. If they are caught using them, it causes a huge public backlash. 

The Fuel coverage provided by government offices to their employees is being cut off, and vehicles were given to them as well, so what benefits do exist? Another argument is about job security and for that what we need to remember is that for a skilled worker 2 years of 8 times more pay and unemployment for 8 years is gonna be better than 10 years of the pay government workers receive. Additionally, the recent data disappearance of the applicants, the wait and also the pressure of application don’t really make it a stable career choice. If we mention limitations, government officers aren’t allowed to have second jobs, a secondary stock market account or any other method that will fuel their life other than their actual job. If planning to leave and go abroad, a government worker cannot apply for DV when they are in their jobs. So all the doors are closed off for a government officer.

All this is an issue to think about when you actually reach the top post, unlike private jobs, public service is filled up with political involvement and corruption. The question is why would you take up such a worthless job unless it's due to delusion, social prestige or corruption, and is social prestige or being blacklisted from jobs after being caught really worth all that effort? The lack of interest in today’s youth to fight for government jobs in Province 3 is very well seen and very well justified. When you are so skilful yet feeding your family and financial troubles are always haunting you on the back, one financial crisis in your family will doom you to eternity, and corruption seems like the only way. Do you blame the corrupt employee and kick them out as a solution? Or do you create a long-term solution by actually giving them a good life without corruption? Very little if not no one would want to risk their job for money unless being pushed to the brink of it. I am a proud son of two honest parents in government jobs and I have seen the reality, Government Jobs stability is just a hoax and will always haunt you with financial trouble if you are innocent. There shouldn’t be any surprises as to why we see a decline in applications for PSC jobs. Until government job holders are provided 2 times if not 3 times their current wage at the very least, there is no point in trying to fight corruption in Nepal.

-Bibhas Pantha

bibhaspantha@gmail.com