The federal government in Pakistan has announced steps towards rightsizing in various ministries based on recommendations by economist Dr. Kaiser Bengali. This move comes after Dr. Bengali resigned from several committees due to perceived lack of commitment from the government to implement cost-saving measures.
In the first phase, six federal ministries have been reviewed with plans to abolish one ministry and merge two others. Dr. Bengali criticized the government for focusing on reducing lower-grade employees while protecting higher-grade positions, which could potentially harm the economy.
However, the government clarified that rightsizing efforts will impact all positions from Grade 1 to 22, with plans to abolish positions in higher grades as well. It is estimated that over 60,000 government posts, including those in Grade 17 to 22, may become redundant under the rightsizing plan.
Dr. Bengali is expected to address the media in Karachi to further discuss the issue. The government’s actions aim to streamline operations and reduce costs in alignment with Dr. Bengali’s recommendations.
Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2024