Khosa unleashes revolutionary austerity drive in Punjab

Senior Advisor to Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Zulfiqar Khan Khosa on Sunday unleashed revolutionary austerity measures in the province, which would save upto Rs 10 billion to the provincial exchequer.
In a media briefing at 90-Shahrah here, he announced to abolish 234 seats of Executive District Officers (EDOs), two posts of BS-20 in the Planning and Development (P&D) Department and re-organise the Chief Minister's Inspection Team by abolishing two posts of members. Punjab Law Minister Rana Sana Ullah Khan, Senator Pervaiz Rasheed and provincial secretaries of Finance and Regulation departments were also present.
Under the administrative austerity and right-sizing drive, Khosa said that 89 posts including 3 posts of Additional IGPs (BS-21), 9 posts DIGs (BS-20), one post of SSP (Survey) as well as 7 posts SPs (BS-19) and 69 posts of DSPs (BS-17) in the Punjab Home Department would also be abolished.
He said the government had decided to merge Social Welfare, Women Development, Baitul Maal, Zakat and Ushar as well as Child Protection Bureau of the Home Department into a single department as Social Protection and Zakat Department.
Khosa said that four posts of Divisional Commissioners (BS-21) at Sargodha, Sahiwal, Bahawalpur and D G Khan districts have been downgraded to BS-20, adding that all the District Co-ordination Officers would be of BS-20 without exception.
In a landmark decision, he said, seven posts of Special Secretaries are being abolished except Finance, Home, Health and Local Government departments.
The Senior Advisor said that half of the 58 officers of the All Pakistan Unified Group (APUG) working on deputation in Punjab would be repatriated to their parent departments in the federal government, which would create room for PCS officers in the province.
The Punjab government has decided to exclude revenue administration from the Local Government system by introducing an amendment in the Punjab Local Governments Ordinance.
To a question, Senator Pervaiz Rasheed said that 550 officers affected by the austerity drive would stay in the surplus pool and be adjusted in other departments gradually.