November 02, 2008	Sunday	Ziqa'ad 3, 1429

PESHAWAR, Nov 1: The NWFP government has announced a new policy for formalising procedures for overseas trainings and trips, discouraging officers to manoeuvre facilities for themselves with foreign donors and agencies.

NWFP Guidelines and Procedure for Overseas Training and Visits 2008, first of its kind at provincial level in Pakistan, has been notified with the approval of NWFP Chief Minister Ameer Haider Hoti here on Saturday, an official told Dawn.

The guidelines will apply to processing of all nominations in the province for overseas trainings, fellowships and study tours and to visits abroad for participation in international seminars, workshops and symposia under any foreign sponsored scheme or facility under a development project duly approved by the competent authority.

Till date, the provincial government had no proper rules and procedures for regulating foreign trainings and visits, as the facility usually offered by international donor and lending agencies were availed by officers, either having political influence or close contacts with these agencies.

In some instances, those officers availed the training facilities, whose job description was not relevant to it, causing wastage of resources and depriving the deserving officers from opportunities to upgrade their professional skills, the official explained.

According to the notification, the provincial Planning and Development Department (P&DD) will be the coordinating section for all cases of overseas trainings and visits, as all the departments will have to communicate with the Economic Affairs Division and federal ministers only through it. There will be a Provincial Selection Committee (PCS), to be headed by the additional chief secretary (ACS), to review and select provincial nominees for overseas trainings, tours and visits. Secretaries Establishment, P&DD and concerned administrative secretary will be its members.

As per the new procedure, nomination of the ACS, provincial secretaries, senior member board of revenue, member board of revenue, provincial police officer, special secretaries, commissioners, additional inspector generals, deputy inspector generals, district coordination officers and district police officers will be made by the provincial chief secretary with the approval of the chief minister, if deemed necessary.

Likewise, the chief secretary will be the nominating authority for the ACS Fata, political agents with the approval of governor NWFP besides all the officers in grade 19 and above. Moreover, the ACS NWFP can nominate officers in grade 17 and above for overseas trainings and visits under the new policy, while officials in grade 16 and below will come under the purview of administrative secretary of the department.

The Frontier government, according to the policy, will not entertain any nominations if they are received from foreign missions, donors and private parties by name in favour of a particular officer. The PSC and the administrative have been directed to discourage attempts by officers to manoeuvre facilities for themselves with foreign donors and agencies.

Departments will furnish a panel of names for each facility indicating preferences on principal and alternate nominees. The P&DD or the PCS members may indicate their recommendations with reference to the principal and alternate candidates, while the file is in circulation. Final decision will be made by the chief secretary or the ACS, explained the notification.

On eligibility for nominations, the notification explained that all government employees appointed on regular basis will be eligible for nomination only when the training is relevant to the position they are holding, they are likely to return to the post, no disciplinary action has been taken against them in the last three years and no disciplinary action or any enquiry is pending against them.

Those who have been under training for a period of less than one year, will be required to serve for a minimum period of three years while those, whose period of training exceeds one year, will have to serve the government for a period of five years in the same field or similar field in which they were trained.