26,000 'ghost employees' costing Sindh govt Rs6bn: Sharjeel Memon

Says computerisation of govt employees’ data would discourage this practice and enable identifying such employees.

KARACHI: Sindh Information Minister, Sharjeel Inam Memon on Monday revealed that as many as 26,000 ghost employees were working in different government departments and that the exchequer could save Rs6 billion by removing them.

Talking to the media after the inauguration of ‘Sindh Employees Smart Card’ at Sindh Secretariat, Memon said that computerisation of government employees’ data would discourage this practice and enable identification of those who are either ghost employees or working on multiple positions, drawing multiple salaries and benefits.

Sharing details of ghost employees, he said that around 21,438 government employees were working in different provincial departments have no Nadra record and salaries were being released to 338 dead employees who had passed away years ago.

“We will conduct an inquiry on how the salaries are transferred to their specific accounts even though they are no more alive,” he said.

Memon further added that not only ghost employees, but many people have secured dual government jobs.

“It has been revealed that 12,064 employees were getting double salaries, working on different positions. If a clerk is working in the education department, the same person was also getting the salary at health department,” he said adding that around 16,665 NICs were identified bearing fake ages of their respective card holders.

Referring to government records, the provincial information minister said that a total 0.410 million employees were registered with the Sindh Government, of them 0.328 million have computerised NICs and 73,800 were not registered with Nadra. He said that after the introduction of smart cards, this kind of fraud would come to an end.

Memon said that employee smart cards would be issued by Nadra and both employees and pensioners would get their salaries through the card. Pensioners would be able to withdraw their pension from any bank’s ATM .

“On Nadra’s recommendation, the government has started action against ghost employees, but soon a crackdown would begin against bogus entries and ghost employees.”

Charging PML-N

Memon also criticised the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) president Nawaz Sharif, saying that Punjab had become a safe haven for criminals and terrorists, with Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and the provincial state machinery patronising them.