Sidestepping merit: Panel bypassed in hiring of development fellows

The task to hire people rested with National Steering Committee.

ISLAMABAD:

The federal government has violated laid down procedures and shortlisted over three dozen individuals in one year, under its five-year Young Development Fellows (YDF) Programme, compromising transparency and merit. 

The ministry of planning, development and reforms shortlisted 40 people under its programme, bypassing a National Steering and Coordination Committee (NSCC) – that had been constituted to perform the task of hiring individuals on merit.

According to sources, following selection, the ministry was to make arrangements for people it shortlisted, endorsed by the steering committee, bypassing the process, which was designed and approved by Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal as the Chairman of Central Development Working party (CDWP).

Earlier CDWP, a body mandated to approve development projects, had cleared the YDF programme costing Rs261.5 million.

Under the programme, government is expected to engage 220 young graduates, hiring 40 people who will receive a monthly stipend of Rs60,000.

The YDF programme is in addition to prime minister’s Young Training Scheme. Under the scheme, 50,000 people will be hired for one year on Rs10,000 monthly stipend.

Commenting on the issue, Hussain Nadeem, Special Assistant on Economic Initiatives to the planning minister, revealed that the 40 people, who were selected under the programme, have already joined the planning ministry.

According to official documents, in order to ‘ensure merit’ the CDWP had constituted the NSCC for the hiring process.

The panel, headed by the planning minister, comprises four Federal secretaries of ministries of planning, finance, economic affairs division and commerce. The Vice Chancellor of Pakistan Institute of Development Economics Dr Rashid Amjad, the Rector of the National School of Public Policy Dr Ismail Qureshi and Dean and Director of the Institute of Business Administration, Karachi, Dr Ishrat Hussain who was also the former SBP governor are also its members, according to the documents.

Meanwhile, the government claims to enhance the capacity of young Pakistanis in the areas of development, strategic planning, performance management & evaluation, project management and public policy formulation.

“We have tried to ensure the merit to the extent it was humanly possible,” said Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal while talking to The Express Tribune.

Iqbal insisted that the planning ministry has completed initial screening and these people have been called only for orientation. Iqbal said these young fellows will formally join only after receiving NSCC’s clearance.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 11^th, 2013.