ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has constituted a seven-member committee to present a practical plan for reduction in government expenditure.
According to the notification issued by the Cabinet Division on March 11, 2024, composition of the Committee will be as follows: (i) Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission (Chairman); (ii) Secretary, Cabinet Division (member); (iii) Secretary, Finance Division (member); (iv) Rashid Mahmood Langrial, Additional Secretary Incharge, I&P; (v) Kaiser Bengali (member); (vi) Farrukh Saleem (member); and (vii) Muhammad Naveed Iftikhar (member).
The Terms of Reference (ToRs) of the Committee shall be: (i) take stock of all reports commissioned so far, including report of the National Austerity Committee notified by Finance Division, for institutional reforms, etc, aimed at downsizing of the Federal Government; (ii) capture all the progress made so far in downsizing/rightsizing of Federal Government; (iii) prepare strategy and implementation plan for all remaining recommendations with timelines; and (iv) any other proposal (relating to PSDP, pension scheme, etc) that can be helpful in reducing government expenditure.
The committee may co-opt any person from public/private sector, if deemed necessary, for the purposes of this task. The committee shall submit its report within one week for perusal/considera-tion of the Prime Minister.
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, in his pre-election speeches had pledged to dissolve 18 federal ministries as all those subjects have already been devolved to provinces under 18th Constitutional Amendment. He said these ministries should have been dissolved in 2015. Expenditure on these ministries stands at Rs 328 billion.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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