Devolution scheme: Five more ministries go to provinces next week

Rabbani panel sidesteps concerns about education ministry in provincial hands.


Express March 11, 2011

ISLAMABAD:


The federal government early next week will devolve five more ministries to the provinces in the second phase of the implementation of the 18th amendment to the constitution, officials said.


The decision was taken on Thursday at a meeting of a parliamentary commission tasked to oversee the implementation on the amendment. With this move, the total number of federal ministries which have been transferred to the provinces will hit double digits.

Senator Raza Rabbani presided over the commission which reviewed and finalised the second phase of the devolution process. The five ministries being moved are education, tourism, social welfare and special education, livestock and dairy development, and culture.

Though there have been concerns by opposition parties and parliamentary panels on the devolution of the education ministry, the commission decided to go ahead with the plan.

The commission also finalised that the specified items in the concurrent list pertaining to the ministries of law, interior, finance, ports and shipping, communications and revenue division would also be devolved in this phase.

The commission has set a target of the middle of March for the completion of the second phase of the devolution process and seemed to be satisfied with the pace of the process thus far, both at the federal level as well as the preparedness of the provincial governments to take over their new roles. It was also decided that no government employees would be laid off as a result of this process.

The parliamentary commission’s satisfaction stands in contrast to the finance ministry’s worries that the provincial governments are not ready yet to take on the addition roles that they will have to bear as a result of the 18th Amendment, which dramatically expanded their powers and autonomy.

The constitutional amendment last year envisaged to abolish the concurrent list from Pakistan’s original constitution of 1973 to end a joint control of the federation and provinces over around two dozen subjects.

Smaller provinces in Pakistan have, over the decades, been complaining against federal hegemony over much of resources they produce. They have been targeting the federation for the centralisation of powers. The amendment, according to its architects, was aimed at addressing such concerns once and for all.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 11th, 2011.

COMMENTS (6)

Ali | 13 years ago | Reply @Asmat Jamal: I of course failed to neglect the worst culprits of all, the Punjabi feudals. The sooner they are consigned to the dustbin of history the better.
Asmat Jamal | 13 years ago | Reply @Ali: You have made comments against all provinces less Punjab!!! Please add that too. You think that 18th amendment passed without the support of fuedals of Punjab???
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