ISLAMABAD, May 15: President Gen Pervez Musharraf has sought a comprehensive presentation on restructuring and rightsizing of the federal ministries and revision of the selection process for federal bureaucrats.

The president has directed the establishment division to also brief him on June 14, 2002, on the proposed creation of economic management group of civil servants so that the restructuring and reorganisation process of civil governments could be completed before October general elections.

The president has asked for briefing on five specific issues relating to civil service. These included establishment of Public Sector Management University at Lahore, creation of economic pool/economic management group, and revision of selection and allocation policy concerning occupational groups.

Various ministries have been asked to submit recommendations for the career planning, including merger and dispersal of officers of military lands and cantonment group and office management group after discontinuation of initial recruitment.

The president is said to be particularly interested in knowing the implementation status of restructuring and rightsizing of ministries and divisions, in view of the recent consultations with International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.

The government is contemplating creating an economic management group of senior bureaucrats and a university of public policy to meet the challenges of economic globalization and World Trade Organisation regime.

The plan envisages establishment of university of public policy in Lahore to continuously train and develop a forward-looking, responsive and professional civil service capable of analysing and formulating realistic public policy.

An expenditure of Rs571 million in the first five years of implementation would be required while the sale of 68 acres of Walton campus of civil service academy (CSA) in Lahore is expected to fetch Rs680 million.

The basic objective is to identify job-specific skills requirements of civil servants and provide customized training at all levels and change the existing “mindset” of the civil servants to transform them into agents of change through public administration and public policy.