Dr. Manchalakumari Jha, Nepal’s proposed ambassador to Sri Lanka, told a parliamentary hearing committee at Singha Durbar on Wednesday that she opposes reservation and was recommended for the post on the basis of merit and her educational qualifications. She made the statement while answering lawmakers’ questions about whether her recommendation had been made under a reservation provision.
Jha’s response to lawmakers
The committee’s questions focused on the basis for Jha’s recommendation. In response, she said that reservation was not the reason she had been put forward for the diplomatic post. She described her recommendation as one based on merit and her education.
Jha also said she opposes reservation. Her remarks addressed both the specific question about her nomination and her position on reservation more broadly. The available account does not provide further detail about her reasoning or identify particular reservation policies she was referring to.
Her answer placed the basis of her proposed appointment at the centre of the hearing discussion. Rather than attributing the recommendation to a reservation category, she presented it as recognition of her qualifications. No additional details about those qualifications were included in the account of the meeting.
Hearing on proposed diplomatic appointment
The hearing took place at Singha Durbar, where the parliamentary committee was considering Jha’s proposed appointment as Nepal’s ambassador to Sri Lanka. The exchange reported on Wednesday concerned whether her recommendation had been made on a reservation basis, and Jha responded directly to that issue.
The committee meeting provided a setting for lawmakers to ask questions about the proposed appointment. Jha’s statement clarified how she said the recommendation had been made: on merit and educational qualifications, rather than reservation. The available information does not describe other questions asked at the hearing or the committee’s wider discussion of her candidacy.
The account also does not state whether the committee reached a decision on the proposed appointment at the meeting. Jha’s remarks therefore represent her response to lawmakers’ questions, not a reported final outcome of the hearing process.
What is known about the recommendation
The information available establishes three points: Jha is the proposed ambassador to Sri Lanka, lawmakers asked whether her recommendation was based on reservation, and she said it was based on merit and her educational qualifications. She also said she opposes reservation.
No further details were provided about the qualifications she cited, the selection process, or the timeline for any decision on her proposed appointment. The reported exchange was focused on the basis of her recommendation, and her answer made clear that she did not consider reservation to be the basis for her nomination.
