Reforming Federal Government Machinery
Confronting the gravest economic challenge ever seen by Pakistan, when the country was at the verge of almost an economic collapse, when some about two years ago the only current account deficit exceeding $20 billion (an alarming figure, quite formidable to handle), coupled with expensive energy production, paralysed exports etc, current government girt up its groin to deal with these gigantic issues. However the current regime had no idea about the intensity of the immense number of issues piled up inside by the misgovernance and the mismanagement of past governments that led the civil institutions to the verge of debacle. Yes, it is all about the fragile situation of civil institutions of the country that were poorly led under political behest leaving and forgetting behind the very and meritorious motive and purpose for what they were actually established to deal with. Initially the current regime has thought that dealing with big economic challenges, the strengthening of civil institutions will gradually bring the situation in control, but they had either overlooked or had no idea about the severity of the situation lying with civil institutions. The picture depicted the sorrow story about civil institutions identical to the issue of current account deficit. (formidable to handle).
Over-inductions, non-productiveness, intransparency, utter loss of system for accountability made the civil institutions posturing like dilapidated buildings of primordial periods lying dormant with no utility at all. National flag carrier PIA was trembling under its own weight having staffing at 450 per fleet, the highest in the world, the productive Steel Mill profiteering decade and half before now lying idle staring someone to attend on its wounds, PTV, Radio, Railways, Postal Services all were putting up very deplorable and ugly picture that one cannot find a way either to disband them and erect anew or to improve the existent entity.
The country has undergone so many experiments since its establishment, but all the experiments were carried out with an ad hoc approach or on the basis of certain petty individual gains. One of them is the recent 18th Amendment aiming to devolve the Departments to function under Provincial Authority so that the resources are best available to the citizens in an efficient manner. However this brilliant motive seems to serve a certain elite class rather than the common citizens exacerbating the situation more than it was before.
The Federal Government of Pakistan is nowadays exerting to bring about reforms related to its functioning machinery. The main feature of reforms includes rationalization of manpower running the Federal Government. Cabinet committee was constituted for detailing the prevailing manpower situation in various departments, determining the volume of employees, looking into the working mechanism and chalking out the proposal with decisions about the way forward. The cabinet committee has submitted its decision with Cabinet on March 31, 2021 about the reform agenda with comprehensive insight and plan. The recommendations of the committee maintain the manpower rationalization as the main feature of reform.
The committee has brought forward the most concerning information that the total expenditure of the Federal Government in 2010 was PKR 175 billion. Subsequent to the 18th Amendment to the constitution (2010) in which several ministries and departments were devolved to function under provinces it was envisaged that the Federal Government will now see significant reduction in its expenditure. Contrary to this fact, instead of reduction in expenses they rose to PKR 500 billion as recorded during 2015–2017. This is by virtue of haphazard and unmethodical inductions made by PPP and PML-N regimes after the 18 amendment in various ministries/departments of the Federal Government. Such inductions has not let the expenses drop down even after the devolution of bulk of ministries and departments to Provincial Governments.
The number of employees in Federal Government as recorded during 2019–2020 stood at 955,000 working in different ministries/secretariats and other associated and attached departments. It was informed that 565000 employees were working in Secretariat and its attached departments and the remaining 390,000 employees were working in different autonomous, semi-autonomous bodies and corporations, and civil armed forces and security. From this total number of employees serving federal government machinery, the proportion of employees having grades 1–16 is around 95% and they were drawing 80–85% in salaries from total expenditures. The ratio of officers to staff is recorded as 1:20 in autonomous, semi- autonomous bodies/corporations and security organizations, however the same stands at 1:6 in Secretariat and its attached departments.
Alarming to say is that subsequent to the 18th Amendment that involved devolution of the bulk of federal government set up to provincial authority, supposed to bring significant drop in federal expenses. The situation arose otherwise and it was due to the inductions that were made in central government machinery. It is part of the official record that 829,000 inductions were made from 2010 -11 to 2016 -17 (Post 18th Amendment Period). Thus it has not brought any drop or reduction in federal government expenditures rather inflicted a tremendous pressure on the federal government, crippling and making it unable to function. Such inductions marked 137,000 new employees in Secretariat and its attached departments in 2016–17 alone (during the PML-N Government). The inductions in autonomous, semi-autonomous bodies were recorded to have been 21,000 during the same period. The proportion of these new inductions stands 35% in law & order, security and civil armed forces, 20% in infrastructure, railways, highways, postal and aviation, 18% in the energy sector, 12% in data, training, research and judiciary and 5% in each of them in social sector, commercial and taxation etc.
It was also informed that the federal government has made savings of PKR 28 billion from the previous manpower rationalization.
Looking into such a miserable situation the federal government in the light of decisions made by cabinet committee consented by cabinet is now making serious attempts for manpower rationalization and for bringing officer and staff ratio to the target of 1:3. The current manpower rationalization by the federal government will introduce an e-filing and e-office mechanism which does not require huge manpower enabling it to achieve the target set as 1:3 (officer and staff).
