KARACHI, July 22: The Sindh government on Monday merged certain departments that had been bifurcated or trifurcated to accommodate more ministers during the previous Pakistan Peoples Party-led coalition government.

The merger of the departments has been made in pursuance of Clause (3) of Article 139 of the Constitution by effecting amendments to the Sindh Government Rules of Business, 1986.

After 18th amendment to the Constitution, the total strength of a cabinet shall not exceed 15 members or 11 per cent of the total membership of a provincial assembly, whichever is higher.

There were 46 secretariat departments in the Sindh government and after the restructuring their number fell to 39 on Monday.

The provincial government departments such as rural development, public heath engineering, housing and town planning are merged with the local government department; Auqaf and religious affairs has been merged with Zakat and Ushr department; supply and prices is merged with the agriculture department; relief and land utilization are merged with the revenue department; narcotics department is merged with the excise and taxation; fisheries has been merged with livestock department; etc.

The provincial government also bifurcated the health and education departments and created separate departments for higher and technical education, school education (up to matriculation), as well as primary health and secondary health departments.

The new secretariat departments of the Sindh government are: agriculture with supply and prices; Auqaf, religious affairs, Zakat and Ushr; board of revenue, land utilization, relief; chief minister’s secretariat, coal Energy; cooperative; culture and tourism and antiquities; energy except coal energy; excise, taxation & narcotics; finance; food; forest, environment and wildlife; governor’s secretariat including military secretary wing; higher technical education & research; home; information and archives; information, science & technology; industries & commerce; irrigation; kutchi abadis; labour & human resources; law, parliamentary affairs & human rights; livestock and fisheries; local government, rural development, PHE & HTP; mines & mineral development; minorities affairs; planning development & special initiatives; population welfare; primary health (BHU, RHC and Vertical programmes; rehabilitation dept; secondary health (rest of health); school education (up to matriculation); services, general administration & coordination department; social welfare; special education; sports and youth affairs; transport and mass transit; women development; and works & services.