Lok Sewa Section Officer cheat sheet
Lok Sewa Section Officer · Keep the key ideas within reach.
General Knowledge and Current Affairs
Nepal's federal structure: 7 provinces, 77 districts, 753 local units (6 metropolitan cities, 11 sub-metropolitan cities, 276 municipalities, 460 rural municipalities).
Constitutional bodies and their heads as of 2024: Election Commission, Public Service Commission, Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority, National Human Rights Commission, National Natural Resources and Fiscal Commission.
Nepal joined the World Trade Organization on 23 April 2004; it became a member of the United Nations on 14 December 1955.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) comprise 17 goals and 169 targets, adopted by the UN in September 2015 with a 2030 deadline.
Nepal's Human Development Index (HDI) value was 0.601 in 2022, ranking 146 out of 193 countries (UNDP HDR 2023-24).
The Constitution of Nepal 2072 (2015) was promulgated on 20 September 2015 by the second Constituent Assembly.
Nepal's population according to the 2021 census is 29,164,578 with an annual growth rate of 0.92% and sex ratio of 95.59 males per 100 females.
Major international days relevant to governance: International Anti-Corruption Day (9 December), Human Rights Day (10 December), UN Public Service Day (23 June).
Governance
Good governance principles per Nepal's Good Governance (Management and Operation) Act 2064: rule of law, transparency, accountability, participation, predictability, and effectiveness.
The Right to Information Act 2064 mandates public bodies to proactively disclose 20 categories of information and respond to requests within 15 days.
The Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) is a constitutional body under Article 238, empowered to investigate corruption and misconduct.
Local Government Operation Act 2074 assigns 22 exclusive and 15 shared functions to local governments, including basic education and primary health.
The National Planning Commission (NPC) formulates periodic plans; the 16th Plan covers FY 2081/82–2085/86 with a goal of graduating from LDC status and achieving middle-income status.
E-Governance in Nepal is guided by the Electronic Transactions Act 2063, which recognizes digital signatures and electronic records.
The Office of the Auditor General audits all government offices and reports annually to the President; its reports are discussed by the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament.
Citizen Charter (Nagrik Barta) must be displayed by every public office under the Good Governance Act, specifying services, timeframes, and responsible officials.
Public Administration and Public Policy
Woodrow Wilson's 1887 essay 'The Study of Administration' is considered the founding text of public administration as a discipline.
Max Weber's ideal-type bureaucracy features hierarchy, division of labor, written rules, impersonality, and merit-based recruitment.
The policy cycle stages: agenda setting, formulation, adoption/legitimation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and termination.
New Public Management (NPM) emphasizes market mechanisms, performance measurement, decentralization, and citizen-as-customer orientation.
Nepal's civil service hierarchy: Section Officer (Gazetted Third Class), Under Secretary (Gazetted Second Class), Joint Secretary (Gazetted First Class), Secretary (Special Class).
The Public Service Commission (PSC) of Nepal, under Article 242, conducts examinations for civil service recruitment and advises on promotion and transfer.
Principal-agent theory explains bureaucratic behavior: politicians (principals) delegate to civil servants (agents), creating information asymmetry and shirking risks.
Nepal's Civil Service Act 2049 and Civil Service Rules 2050 govern recruitment, promotion, transfer, and disciplinary action.
Constitution
The Constitution of Nepal 2072 has 35 Parts, 308 Articles, and 9 Schedules; it was promulgated on 20 September 2015.
Article 1 declares Nepal an independent, indivisible, sovereign, secular, inclusive, democratic, socialism-oriented, federal democratic republican state.
Fundamental rights are in Part 3 (Articles 16–46); Article 17 covers freedom of expression, Article 18 equality, Article 20 right to justice.
The President is the head of state (Article 61); the Prime Minister is the head of government (Article 75).
Federal legislature: House of Representatives (275 members) and National Assembly (59 members, 8-year term with one-third retiring every 2 years).
Judiciary: Supreme Court (Article 127), High Courts (Article 139), District Courts (Article 148).
Constitutional amendment under Article 274 requires a two-thirds majority of the total membership of the federal parliament; Article 275 lists entrenched provisions requiring provincial consent.
Article 56 defines the three-tier federal structure: Federation, Province, and Local Level, with distribution of powers in Schedules 5–9.
Law and Public Service Ethics
The Prevention of Corruption Act 2059 defines corruption offenses including bribery, embezzlement, abuse of office, and illegal acquisition of property.
The CIAA can file cases directly in the Special Court; the Special Court was established under the Special Court Act 2059.
Public service ethics values: integrity, impartiality, accountability, transparency, confidentiality, and service orientation.
The Civil Service Act 2049 Section 20 lists disciplinary offenses; penalties range from warning to dismissal, with a three-tier appeal process.
The Right to Information Act 2064 defines 'public body' broadly to include constitutional bodies, courts, and state-owned enterprises.
The Anti-Corruption Convention (UNCAC), ratified by Nepal in 2011, mandates preventive measures, criminalization, and international cooperation.
Code of conduct for civil servants is prescribed under the Civil Service Rules 2050, Rule 21, covering political neutrality and conflict of interest.
Whistleblower protection in Nepal is provided under the Whistleblower Protection Act 2071, which establishes procedures for reporting misconduct.
Economic Development and Planning
Nepal's first periodic plan (1956–61) was formulated; the current 16th Plan (2081/82–2085/86) targets average GDP growth of 7.3%.
GDP composition (FY 2080/81): agriculture ~24%, industry ~13%, services ~63%.
Nepal graduated from the Least Developed Country (LDC) category with a three-year transition period ending in 2026, as recommended by the UN CDP in 2021.
Human Development Index (HDI) 2022: Nepal's value 0.601, rank 146/193; life expectancy 70.4 years, expected years of schooling 12.6.
Remittance inflow was about 27% of GDP in FY 2080/81, one of the highest shares in the world.
The Nepal Rastra Bank (central bank) was established in 1956; monetary policy targets inflation at 6.5% for FY 2081/82.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are integrated into the 16th Plan; Nepal's SDG progress is monitored by the National Planning Commission.
Fiscal deficit target for FY 2081/82 is 6.1% of GDP; capital expenditure has historically been below 70% of allocation.
Office Management and Administrative Procedures
Records management lifecycle: creation, distribution, use, maintenance, and disposition (destruction or permanent preservation).
The Public Records Act 2045 and Public Records Rules 2046 govern the preservation and disposal of government records.
Office layout principles: proximity, flow of work, flexibility, and space utilization; the 'open office' design reduces communication barriers.
Drafting a government letter (patra) follows a standard format: letterhead, reference number (chalani), date, subject, salutation, body, signature, and enclosures.
The 'tickler file' or reminder system tracks deadlines; 'bring-up' files are used for follow-up actions.
Meeting management: agenda circulation in advance, quorum requirement, minutes recording, and action-item tracking.
E-filing and digital recordkeeping in Nepal are guided by the Electronic Transactions Act 2063 and the 'Paperless Government' initiative.
Indexing and classification systems: alphabetical, numerical, chronological, and subject-based; the Dewey Decimal System is used in libraries.
English Language and Composition
Subject-verb agreement: singular subjects take singular verbs; indefinite pronouns (everyone, each, neither) are singular.
Punctuation: semicolon joins two independent clauses; colon introduces a list or explanation; apostrophe shows possession or contraction.
Commonly confused words: affect (verb) vs. effect (noun); principal (main/head) vs. principle (rule); complement vs. compliment.
Active voice is preferred in official writing: 'The office issued the notice' rather than 'The notice was issued by the office.'
Parallel structure: items in a list or series must share the same grammatical form (e.g., 'reading, writing, and arithmetic').
Formal letter structure: sender's address, date, recipient's address, salutation, subject line, body paragraphs, closing, and signature.
Report writing format: title, executive summary, introduction, methodology, findings, conclusion, recommendations, and references.
Idiomatic prepositions: 'comply with,' 'adhere to,' 'consist of,' 'depend on,' 'responsible for,' 'capable of.'
Nepali Language and Composition
नेपाली वर्णमालामा ११ स्वर र ३३ व्यञ्जन गरी ४४ वर्ण हुन्छन्; स्वरका १२ र व्यञ्जनका ३६ भेद (संयुक्त वर्ण सहित) मानिन्छन्।
पदवर्ग: नाम, सर्वनाम, विशेषण, क्रियायोगी, क्रिया, नामयोगी, संयोजक, विस्मयादिबोधक, र निपात - गरी १० पदवर्ग।
कारक र विभक्ति: कर्ता (ले), कर्म (लाई), करण (ले/द्वारा), सम्प्रदान (लाई), अपादान (बाट/देखि), सम्बन्ध (को/का/की), अधिकरण (मा/माथि), सम्बोधन (हे/ए)।
वाक्य शुद्धीकरण: अनावश्यक पुनरुक्ति, लिङ्ग-वचन-पुरुष मिलान, र कारक चिह्नको सही प्रयोग।
पत्राचार: सरकारी पत्रमा चलानी नम्बर, मिति, विषय, सम्बोधन, मुख्य भाग, दस्तखत, र बोधार्थ क्रमशः लेखिन्छ।
हिज्जे शुद्धता: 'श/ष/स' को प्रयोग, 'ण' र 'न' को भेद, र 'रि/री' को मात्रा - जस्तै: परीक्षा, प्रतियोगिता, निर्णय।
उखान-टुक्का: 'हतारको काम लतार', 'जसको लाठी उसको भैंसी', 'नाच्न नजान्ने आँगन टेढो' - अर्थसहित प्रयोग।
निबन्ध लेखन संरचना: भूमिका, विषयवस्तु (विभिन्न पक्ष), र निष्कर्ष - तीन भागमा विभाजन।