Devolved ministries’ employees: CCI forms committee to work out salary plan

Bureaucrats will decide on provision of funds for projects in these ministries.


Zia Khan February 02, 2011

ISLAMABAD: The Council of Common Interests (CCI) on Tuesday formed a committee to work out a plan as to how the federal government would pay salaries of employees belonging to ministries that are being devolved to the provinces under the 18th constitutional amendment.

The committee comprising federal and provincial bureaucrats will also decide on the provision of funds for ongoing projects in these ministries. The federal finance secretary and provincial chief secretaries will be members of the committee.

The government is in the process of devolving at least two dozen ministries and divisions, from the centre to provinces, under a formula agreed in the 18 amendment.

The provinces last week refused to accept thousands of employees from the ministries they would be getting, forcing the government to send them to the surplus pool. The statement said that the premier would ultimately decide on how the services of these employees are utilised in other ministries once he gets a report on the matter. No timeframe was however given to the panel for the completion of this work.

Presided by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, the CCI — a high powered constitutional body to resolve disputes among the provinces — also approved in principle a policy for the exploration of tight gas but left the determination of pricing on further consultation among provinces. Tight gas is a form of natural gas found in reservoirs where access is difficult making extraction expensive.

A statement issued by the prime minister’s secretariat said the CCI has decided to give exploration companies six new incentives to undertake an ‘expensive’ task of exploring tight gas. It was stated that even after giving additional incentives, the cost of gas available will be less than that being imported. It is estimated that the cost of tight gas would be $6.5 BTU compared to imported gas which costs $12.3 BTU. The people of the area, where the extraction takes place, will be taken into confidence and the development of the area will be part of the policy, the statement said.

Regarding replacement of tube wells with better technology which can help save 1,100 megawatts of electricity and ultimately lead to possible withdrawal of subsidy on agricultural tube wells, it was observed that this matter does not fall within the purview of the CCI. It was decided that the federal government would resolve the matter with the respective provincial governments separately.

The CCI also deferred the issue of privatisation of three electricity generation companies and eight electricity distribution companies till its next meeting.

Since the summary on the matter was circulated to the members of the council late, therefore the provincial governments could not study it in detail to be able to give their input, it was argued.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 2nd, 2011.

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