Kathmandu. KATHMANDU: The controversy over land loan and other facilities that the Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) employees are getting has turned into a fire.

The dispute has taken a different turn after they demanded Rs 1.28 crore, including Rs 4.0 million in addition to Rs 88 lakh, the management is adamant that only Rs 22 lakh should be paid and the board of directors should not add the facility in the current situation.

The committee was formed under the coordination of Board of Directors member Chintamani Shiwakoti after the employees demanded to increase the loan amount by Rs 40 lakh. After a long time, the committee has recommended to increase it by only Rs 22 lakh.

The Shiwakoti committee had suggested that the government should provide Rs 5,000 as dearness allowance and Rs 2.2 million in the existing Rs 8.8 million in land facilities. In the past, the Ministry of Finance does not seem to like giving a large amount of central bank allowance by merging many types of allowances including inflation.

NRB employees are also unhappy with the current Rs 88 lakh and Rs 1.10 crore after the Rs 22 lakh that is supposed to be added. “The employees are dissatisfied with the need to add Rs 40 lakh,” the source said. The board of directors meeting held on December 22 could not take a decision on the loan of Rs 11.10 crore.

It is said that this facility has reached here from 1 lakh 25 thousand thirty years ago. During the tenure of outgoing Governor Maha Prasad Adhikari, it was increased from Rs 50 lakh to Rs 88 lakh. At present, the employees have demanded an increase of Rs 40 lakh, but against the wishes of the governor, the central bank will take the initiative to increase it by Rs 22 lakh.

At the end of Adhikari’s tenure, the government had increased the facilities including land loan and other facilities available to the employees by 25 percent. Currently, the bank has fixed an interest rate of 1 percent on land loans. The management has not shown any interest in where the money has been spent except for real estate.

Currently, the bank has around 1200 employees.