Lok Sewa Section Officer key terms

A constitutional arrangement in which the central government and the provinces each exercise separate, clearly divided powers, and each level is supreme within its own sphere of authority.

A system in which a single central government holds supreme authority and regional bodies exercise only powers delegated to them, which can be withdrawn or reshaped by the centre.

The transfer of specific powers, functions, and resources from a central government to elected regional or local bodies, usually by statute rather than by constitutional entrenchment.

Powers that both the central and provincial levels may exercise, typically including taxation, social welfare, and agriculture, with constitutional rules resolving any conflict between their laws.

Powers not expressly assigned to any level of government by the constitution; these usually default to the centre unless the constitution says otherwise.

A judicial principle holding that certain core features of a constitution, such as sovereignty, fundamental rights, and the rule of law, cannot be destroyed even by constitutional amendment.

The power of courts to examine laws, executive actions, and decisions of public bodies against the constitution and to declare them void when inconsistent with it.

The principle that the constitution is the highest law, so any statute, regulation, or official act that conflicts with it is invalid to the extent of the conflict.

The authority of a high court or supreme court to issue orders such as habeas corpus, mandamus, certiorari, prohibition, and quo warranto to protect rights and control unlawful action.

The principle that everyone, including the state itself, is subject to law administered by ordinary courts, and that no one may be punished except for a breach of law.

Two minimum fair-hearing guarantees: no one should judge their own cause, and every affected person must be given notice and a genuine opportunity to be heard before a decision.

The lawful freedom of a public officer to choose among possible courses of action within legal limits; it must be exercised reasonably, in good faith, and for the purpose the law intends.

Faulty public administration marked by delay, rudeness, bias, failure to follow procedure, or refusal to explain decisions, causing unfairness to citizens without necessarily breaking the law.

The processes by which citizens can complain about government action and obtain remedy, including administrative appeals, ombudsman review, and court action.

An independent official who investigates complaints of unfair or improper treatment by public bodies, recommends remedies, and reports findings publicly without usually having power to reverse decisions.

The conduct of public affairs through transparent, accountable, participatory, responsive, and rule-bound institutions that deliver services efficiently and treat citizens equitably.

The obligation of public officeholders to answer for their decisions and use of resources to higher authorities and to the public, and to accept consequences for poor performance.

The practice of making government decisions, budgets, rules, and procurement information openly available so citizens can scrutinise them and hold officials responsible.

A legal entitlement of citizens to request and receive information held by public bodies, subject only to narrow exceptions such as national security and personal privacy.

The sequence of stages through which policy passes: agenda setting, formulation, adoption, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and revision or termination.

The translation of an adopted policy into programmes and activities by administrative agencies, involving resource allocation, coordination, and enforcement of rules.

Frontline public servants such as teachers, health workers, and police who interact directly with citizens and, in practice, shape how policies are applied through daily discretion.

Policy making that relies on reliable data, evaluation findings, and systematic research rather than intuition, ideology, or anecdote alone.

The paired processes of continuously tracking programme activities and periodically judging whether results, outcomes, and impacts were achieved as intended.

An independent examination of whether a public programme is economical, efficient, and effective, and whether it complies with applicable rules, reported with recommendations.

The duty of government bodies to keep accurate accounts, spend only as authorised, and submit to audit and legislative scrutiny of revenue and expenditure.

A budgeting method in which every proposed expenditure must be justified afresh each period from a zero base, rather than merely adjusting the previous year's allocation.

A budget format that lists expenditure by object or input, such as salaries, fuel, and stationery, and emphasises control of spending against approved limits.

The shortfall when total government expenditure exceeds total revenue excluding borrowing, usually expressed as a share of gross domestic product.

Public spending that creates or improves long-lasting assets such as roads, bridges, irrigation systems, and buildings, as distinct from recurring running costs.

The practice of recording a proposal, facts, and recommendation on a file so that a competent authority can examine the matter and give a decision.

The assignment of defined decision-making power by a superior to a subordinate while the superior retains overall responsibility and accountability for results.

The number of subordinates who report directly to one supervisor; a wide span reduces supervision depth while a narrow span increases it.

A documented plan stating how long each category of official record must be kept, when it may be transferred to archives, and when it may be destroyed.

The tracked routing of a case file among desks and offices for comments, approvals, and signatures, with each movement recorded for accountability.

A grammatical distinction where the subject performs the action in active voice but receives it in passive voice, a choice that shifts emphasis and tone in official writing.

Agreement between grammatical elements, especially subject and verb in number and person, and between pronouns and their antecedents, so that sentences read correctly.

The use of matching grammatical forms for items in a list or comparison, which keeps sentences clear in formal and administrative writing.

Two classes of Nepali vocabulary: tatsama words borrowed from Sanskrit in largely unchanged form, and tadbhava words that evolved from Sanskrit through phonetic change.

The variety of language chosen for a particular setting or purpose, such as formal official correspondence, legal drafting, or everyday conversation.