KARACHI, March 21: The right-sizing and rationalizing the civil service by re-deployment and placing the employees in surplus pool under the civil service reforms introduced in Sindh has swollen the size of provincial government rather than reducing it during last two years.
This has happened as bulk of the staff rendered surplus after closure or right-sizing of public enterprises, has been absorbed against regular government positions, says an official report prepared by provincial finance department and discussed recently in a high-level meeting.
The report states that reforms to improve civil service performance were critical component of Sindh Reforms Programme and also essential as salaries and pension for civil servants account for 49 per cent of government expenditures.
In case of district governments, establishment costs account for over 90 percent of government expenditures as around 2,70,000 provincial civil servants have been placed with local governments after transfer of power and authority to them, report adds.
The report revealed that there has been little work towards establishment of district cadres, however, recently the provincial government has transferred the transfer and posting powers of officers upto BS-17 to the district governments.
From February last, the funds for salary of the staff posted in devolved departments have also been transferred to the district governments.
On the issue of making greater use of contract-based employment through legal changes to prevent regularization, the provincial government had agreed in principle earlier to gradually move towards a policy framework where all future appointments would be contract-based.
The services department is currently engaged in consultation with the law department for suggesting necessary amendments, however the law department has held that the Sindh government can undertake contract appointments without any specific law on the subject. The issue is still under consideration, the report said.
The government is under tremendous pressure to lift ban on fresh recruitment due to the rising poverty and unemployment levels in the province, but it has been told that there is very little fiscal space for pro-poor expenditures and has to contain the wage bill to a great extent.—PPI
