Analysts say less experienced people may undermine PC’s strength. CREATIVE COMMONS
The government has relaxed the eligibility criteria for hiring members of the Planning Commission (PC), the senior-most post in the Management Position (MP-I) scale which, according to analysts, will further undermine the strength of the country’s apex planning body.
The federal government, through an amendment to the Cabinet Secretariat Resolution of April 2006, has eased the experience criterion from 25 years in a distinguished professional career to just 15 years, according to officials of the Ministry of Planning, Development and Reforms.
The change was approved by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif while clearing a summary sent to him for the reorganisation and restructuring of the Planning Commission and the Ministry of Planning, Development and Reforms.
The PC is the apex policymaking body entrusted with the task of making annual plans and vision for the country. It is running against time and trying to prepare the Vision 2025 document by the December 31 deadline.
It is not for the first time that questions have been raised over the hiring process in the PC and the Ministry of Planning. Earlier, the planning ministry hired 40 young candidates in clear violation of laid down procedures.
In place of the Cabinet Secretariat’s resolution of 2006, a new resolution was issued in October 2013 which coincided with the process of hiring eight new members of the PC. The members will be hired at MP-I, the highest scale for technocrats involved in public policymaking, on a par with federal secretary of grade-22.
An MP-I scale official is entitled to a maximum monthly salary package of Rs578,110, including Rs142,000 house rent, Rs95,910 car allowance and Rs16,200 utility charges, according to the Ministry of Finance.
Interviews for the posts of members will be conducted next week. The government wants to hire member implementation and monitoring, member private sector development, member energy, member information, communication technology and science and technology, member development communications, member infrastructure and regional connectivity, member social sector and devolution and member governance, innovation and reforms. Members are responsible for making policies and plans in their respective areas.
According to the 2006 resolution, “the members will be professionals of eminent stature, preferably PhDs and with at least 25 years’ experience in relevant field.”
But after the amendment, the resolution says a member should have a Masters degree, preferably a PhD in the relevant field and with minimum 15 years of experience including five to ten years of managerial experience at policymaking level.
The 15-year experience requirement shows that the government wants to accommodate its own people who are less experienced, said Dr Asad Ali Shah, former member PC and a senior fellow at Global Think Tank Network.
He said the purpose of keeping the experience requirement of 25 years was to appoint members of international repute who have written research papers and are intellectually sound.
By lowering the experience to 15 years, the government actually wants to hire people who are comparatively weak so that they could be pressured when required, Shah added.
A member with 15 years of experience around 40 years of age would not easily challenge a federal secretary in his late 50s with 30-plus years of experience, according to analysts.
Analysts and economic experts said the move was meant to bring people of choice, which will compromise quality in an institution that is already weak due to appointments of the District Management Group officers at key posts.
When contacted, PC officials defended the decision of lowering the experience requirement. The experience condition was relaxed to accommodate comparatively young people, said a senior official.
He said there was no legal hurdle to relaxing the eligibility criteria and stressed that all posts will be filled strictly on merit and in a transparent manner.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 22nd, 2013.
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