Federal government to transfer Rs5.5 billion to provinces

Govt gives six-point summary; no employees to be sacked, says devolution summary to be approved by cabinet.

ISLAMABAD: The federal government is transferring Rs5.5 billion, the annual budget of five ministries, and 3,622 employees to the four provinces to implement the devolution plan envisaged in the 18th amendment.

According to the 13-page official summary which is to be presented before the cabinet today (Wednesday), a copy of which is available with The Express Tribune, federal government employees – regular or contractual – who will not be accepted by the provinces will be put in a surplus pool in Islamabad and accommodated in other ministries and divisions. No government employee working in these federal  ministries will be laid off. The ministries will also transfer the buildings, furniture, equipment and official cars that they had been using.

Participants of this special cabinet meeting will approve the six points suggested in the official summary, moved by the ministry for inter-provincial coordination. According to the summary, the five federal ministries to be devolved are the ministries for special initiatives, zakat and ushr, youth affairs, local government and rural development, and population welfare. Their budget comes to about Rs5.5 billion.

According to the summary, 1,902 regular employees and 951 contractual employees of these five ministries will be transferred to the provinces. Additionally, 769 employees of these ministries, who are based in Islamabad, will also move to the provinces.

The summary has now recommended the following six points for cabinet’s approval:

1.Employees of various field organisations falling under these ministries will be transferred to the respective administrations of provinces and federal areas under Section 10 of the Civil Servants Act of 1973, pending the formulation of a new enabling law on this subject.

2.Employees working in any [federal] ministry, which is being abolished, who are not taken in by the provincial government and federal areas will be placed in the surplus pool and accommodated, in due course, in other ministries or divisions. None of the employees will be retrenched or laid off

3.The funds for the transferred activities and the manpower of the five ministries, budgeted in 2011, will be transferred to the provinces and federal territories on a pro rata basis.

4.Development projects of these ministries will also be transferred to the provinces and federal areas along with projects, employees and revised allocation of funds for these projects in the year 2010-2011

5.Building, furniture, fixtures, equipment and transport in use of these ministries are also proposed to be transferred to the provinces.

6.Final determination of issues relating to assets and liabilities shall be decided by the implementation commission, with the cabinet’s approval before the devolution process’ completion

Published in The Express Tribune, December 1^st, 2010.