With a view to enabling Anti-corruption Establishment (ACE) to play vital role for the eradication of corruption from government departments, Punjab Government has decided to induct young honest officers having good moral character in the ACE through the Punjab Public Service Commission.
The Senior Advisor to Chief Minister Punjab, Sardar Zulfiqar Ali Khan Khosa, said this, while chairing a meeting of Reform Committee for Anti-corruption Department, here on Friday. The meeting was attended by Law Minster Rana Sanaullah, Finance Minister Tanveer Ashraf Kaira, Chief Secretary Punjab, Nasir Mehmood Khosa, Additional Chief Sectary Sami Saeed, DG Anti-corruption former Justice Kazim Ali Malik, Secretary Law Abu-ul-Hasan Najmi and MNA Anusha Rehman.
The DG Anti-corruption told the participants of the meeting that the staff of ACE is comprised of officers and officials working on deputation. "There is fixed quota for fresh appointees and departmental officials at the ratio of 30:70. No direct recruitment has been made despite the passage of several decades. There is dire need to inject fresh blood in the department for better performance," he said.
The committee decided that the post of Assistant Director (BS-17) would be filled in through Punjab Public Service Commission and consequently number of permanent employees of the department would be increased. The committee approved that the police officials working in the department would be allowed to conduct raids in uniforms, because in plain cloths the official had to face difficulties to arrest the corrupt officials.
The DG Anti-corruption stated that the offices of ACE are functioning in rented buildings and requires official building to save government funds. The Chief Sectary Punjab assured the meeting that all the Divisional Commissioners and District Co-ordination Officers would be directed to provide government buildings for setting up offices of ACE at District and Divisional levels.
Earlier, the Senior Advisor to Chief Minister also presided over the meeting of Higher Education Department. The meeting was attended by Advocate General Punjab, Khawaja Haris, Secretary Higher Education Department Haseeb Athar, DCO Lahore Ahad Khan Cheema, and other high-ranking officers of the department. The meeting reviewed the different issues of the department.