PESHAWAR, Feb 22: More than 3,000 officers have been promoted under the civil service reforms initiative in the NWFP during the past four years.

Statistics compiled for August 2003-February 2007 show that the Provincial Selection Board (PSB), led by NWFP Chief Secretary Ejaz Ahmad Qureshi, has cleared the highest number of promotion cases under the human resource management strategy.

The board was the forum authorised to recommend the promotion of officers from grades 17 to 21 at the provincial level, whereas departmental promotion committees (DPCs) proposed promotions from grades 1 to 17.

“Both the PSB and DPCs have been holding their meetings twice a month recommending unprecedented number of promotions during the period,” officials told Dawn.

The PSB recommended 3,125 promotions during the period: 206 from grade 16 to 17, 1,562 from grade 17 to 18, 1,021 from grade 18 to 19, 192 from grade 19 to 20 and 15 from grade 20 to 21.The highest number of promotions was awarded in the higher education department, where 1,058 officers moved to the next grades –

748 from grade 17 to 18, 269 from grade 18 to 19 and 41 from grade 19 to 20.

In the department of schools and literacy, 679 officers got higher grades -- 355 from grade 17 to 18, 291 from grade 18 to 19 and 32 from grade 19 to 20.

Officers of the department of establishment and administration secured 516 promotions -- 206 from grade 16 to 17, 180 from grade 17 to 18, 83 from grade 18 to 19, 40 from grade 19 to 20 and seven from grade 20 to 21.

During the period, 362 officials were promoted in the health department, 130 in industries and technical education, 48 in agriculture, 40 in environment, 11 in excise and taxation, 27 in finance, nine in home and tribal affairs, three in information, 22 in irrigation, 14 in law, three in planning and development, 27 in population welfare, two in sports and culture and 47 in the works and services department.

Officials claimed that promotions in similar numbers had been made for the lower grades by the departmental committees.

They said the government had also finalised a new unified service cadre – the NWFP Management Service --by merging the executive and secretariat groups of the Provincial Civil Services -- to fill the positions created under the district administration set-up following abolition of the posts of extra assistant commissioner, deputy commissioner and commissioner.