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Ministries given deadline for downsizing

T A MALIK

ISLAMABAD: The Chief Executive Secretariat has expressed its concern over the slow progress on downsizing in the ministries and directed them to complete the exercise at the earliest, it is reliably learnt.

The ministries have been asked to accomplish the downsizing and abolish the vacant posts by end of the current month and submit implementation reports to the Cabinet Secretariat.

The action would be taken against those who do not implement the decision of the Chief Executive Secretariat purely on merit basis, the sources added.

The Federal Cabinet in its meeting on December 11, 1999 had decided to reduce the strength of the employees and all ministries had been asked to implement the decision at their own level, but they did not implement it.

The Chief Executive Secretariat via Establishment Division had directed the ministries twice in January, and on February for implementation of the Cabinet decision. Due to non-compliance from the ministries the Establishment Division on February 28, 2000 gave a deadline of March 25, 2000 for completing the downsizing exercise.

Sources said that 90 percent of the ministries, division and attached departments have once again ignored the directives of the CE Secretariat. Some of them have made recommendation to reduce the manpower strength without taking action or stated that no downsizing is required.

This time ministries have been again asked to strictly implement the Cabinet decision, abolish the vacant posts and submit their compliance reports to the Cabinet Secretariat.