ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Tuesday said that the federal government has abolished 150,000 vacant regular posts in rightsizing measures initiated by the incumbent govt to reduce expenditures and improve efficiency.
Addressing the press conference in Islamabad, the finance czar added that 60% of vacant regular posts that have not come in payroll have been abolished or declared as dying posts after proper approval from the cabinet.
The meeting shared the six-month performance of the Committee on Restructuring and Rightsizing (CRR) of the federal government.
The finance minister reaffirmed to rightsise 42 ministries and their 400 attached departments by the end of this current fiscal year 2024-25.
“We have decided to bring five or six departments under rightsizing in each phase,” the minister said.
The minister said that efforts are being made to reduce the federal government’s expenditure of Rs900 billion. The minister also stated the decision to initiate checks and balances on the cash balances of all government entities.
However, he added, it has nothing to do with people, but to improve efficiency, adding it was being implemented in all ministries.
Furthermore, Fin Min added that under Wave-1, six ministries including Kashmir Affair and Gilgit Baltistan, SAFRON, Information Technology and Telecom, Industries and Production, National Health Services Regulations and Coordination, and Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) were rightsized.
Aurangzeb said the committee has decided to merge the Ministries of Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan, and States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON) whereas CADD was abolished.
The committee, he said, also decided to outsource general non-core services including cleaning, plumbing, and gardening to bring efficiency, adding the number of contingency posts would also be reduced.
