Staff Report
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government has permanently abolished more than 26,000 positions in federal government and autonomous bodies during the first two years of its on-going tenure in the name of institutional reforms.
According to sources, ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government has reduced the strength of employment in federal government and autonomous bodies by abolishing 26,641 positions in 2019-20. And, this action of the government has saved approximately Rs 4 billion amount per annum to the national exchequer. Similarly, owing to opposition of some ministers, the government has so far stopped abolishing another 71,000 positions which were lying vacant from last one year. And, if these 71,000 positions are abolished then around Rs 28 billion annual saving will possibly be made to the national exchequer. Furthermore, review in the size and structure of civil and armed forces is also initiated as the grand total of the civilian employees stands at 955,000 while the federal government (secretariat and attached departments) had a total strength of 565,000 in 2019-20.
Owing to increase in the size of federal civil employees, annual payments under various heads to these employees have increased from Rs 175billion to Rs 500 bln during last ten years, said sources.
The sources also informed that the federal cabinet had approved restructuring of the federal government in July 2019 while 71,000 posts which were lying vacant from last one year will have to be abolished in accordance with the decision of cabinet committee on implementation and this method should be adopted every year before preparing the annual federal budget. However, they said that some ministers did not ratify this decision mainly because of the public pressure. They said Adviser to Prime Minister on Institutional Reforms and Austerity, Dr Ishrat Hussain has asked to review keeping the size of innumerable supporting staff and divisions should be made bound to ensure the size in ratio of 1:3 staff to officer ratio.
Highlighting the growing size of the federal government during a meeting of the federal cabinet, Dr Ishrat Hussain informed that cost of federal bureaucracy in 2010 was Rs 175 billion which had now crossed Rs 500 bln despite the fact that after 18th Amendment most of the subject had been devolved to provinces. Similarly, the Cabinet Committee on Intuitional Reforms (CCIR) proposed to freeze recruitment in BS-1-16 except essential services. However, several members of the cabinet objected and consensus was that only recruitment on posts lying vacant for more than a year should be banned.
Available documents disclosed that total size of federal government employees (secretariat and attached departments) was 565,000 wherein 13,000in secretariat, 8,000 in constitutional bodies, 544,000 in attached departments, and in addition, 390,000 in autonomous, semi-autonomous bodies, corporations, etc.
As per details of distribution of federal employees in 2019-20, 95 percent of the federal government employees belong to grade 1-16 or staff position, while salaries and allowance paid to these employees account for 80-85pc of the total wage bill of the federal government and the ratio of officers to staff has remained unchanged at 1:20. In Secretariat the ratio is 1:6. Similarly, 50 % of the staff position were occupied by posts such as Qasid, Chowkidar, Sweeper, Mali, Drivers, Riders etc. Federal Secretariat itself has 4,718 such staff that constitutes 38pc of the total Secretariat employees.
