KARACHI, Dec 28: The government has decided to reform its civil services in order to improve its image of indulging in un- necessary paper work instead of attending to the grievances of people by providing them relief through transparent performance.
In this connection, the federal government has sent outlines of its likely reforms to all provincial governments to seek their comments how to make the bureaucracy responsive and accessible to general public through accountability, it is reliably learnt.
Sindh Chief Secretary Dr Mutawakkil Kazi, who presided over a meeting of provincial secretaries, highlighted the importance and need for reforms. He said there was need to change the growing perception of inefficiency and incompetency with the civil service especially in the changing global and national challenges.
Dr Kazi asked all the secretaries and head of the government departments to finalize their comments by the first week of January 2004 for submission to the establishment division in Islamabad.
Political influence that continues in appointments, postings, and transfers has defeated all efforts of the successive governments to implement meaningful reforms based on principles of merits and qualification, some analysts observed and pointed out that introduction of reforms for restructuring the civil service is likely to be announced in April 2004.
The paper distributed for comments among the participants of the meeting contains:
Objectives: Create a professional civil service that is sensitized to the needs of people, enthused to perform and trained for creative decision making.
Principal facets: National executive service, case for a generalist cadre and capacity building (PDEV, EDP, NSPP).
National Executive Service: The NES will be a country-wide service with professional and responsive civil servants capable of formulating proactive policy at senior levels. The NES will staff all policy making positions in grades 19-22 in federal, provincial and district governments.
The NES will be an umbrella service for four professional streams of services: Economic divisions and ministries, social sector ministries and organizations, regulatory ministries and organizations as well as provincial and district governments on an agreed formula basis. It will give opportunities for horizontal movement, fast track promotions, and an attractive and a different compensation package.
The intake in grade 19 for the NES will be through a competitive process, open to all officers in grades 17 and 18, working in the federal, provincial and district governments, and private sector. For promotions to grades 20, 21 and 22, the NES positions could be from amongst NES officers in BS 19, non-NES officers in grade 19 through competitive process.
The NES cadre size would grow according to the attrition rate of present position-holders in federal secretariat.
Non-NES officers: The Non-NES officers shall grow vertically in their respective groups, generally occupy non- policy making positions and specific opportunities for career advancement.
Generalist cadre: In pre-devolution scenario, the DMG was the generalist cadre. They had a well-rounded public exposure to all types of situations, and therefore, they were sensitive to public needs and problems. This exposure and experience would be helpful in formulating realistic policies.
In post devolution scenario, the chief executive assured continuation of the DMG service with a clear career path, induction to which was stopped in 2001 due to limited, unclear and not very meaningful career path in BS 17 and 18.
To attract talent to the DMG, posts in BS 17/18 will have to be identified / created, which should be meaningful to achieve the objectives of sensitization, decision making, well-rounded exposure and leadership.
Other service groups and technical services have limited interaction, and therefore, have specific sensitization and exposure.
Consultation: The NES would require officers, who are sensitized to issues and needs of the people at ground level, to get help in policy formulation at senior levels. As DMG will be one of the prime feeding cadres for the NES, provinces are being consulted for identification of such “sensitizing” and attractive posts in BS 17 and 18.
Capacity building: Present training being carried out through PASC, NIPAs & CSA which is limited. Proposed programmes include short term EDP, medium term PDEV, long term through National School of Pubic Policy (NSPP). The NSPP will be the premier training institute, which will be created through merger of PASC, NIPA and CSA. It would provide training along professional and modern lines having links with reputed domestic and foreign universities.
Implementation and monitoring setup: A nucleus civil service reform unit will be established in the Establishment Division to oversee reforms implementation process and orbital units in ministries, divisions, and provincial governments.