Transfer of ministries: government will legislate to keep some departments with Centre

Federal government will legislate to keep some departments of the ministries with the Centre, which would be transferred to provinces under 18th Amendment of the Constitution, it is learnt.
Reliable sources on Monday told Business Recorder that the Implementation Commission, constituted to ensure smooth transfer of federal ministries to the provinces, has raised the issue of merging some departments with the Center in the Council of Common Interests (CCI).
They said many institutions of the ministries will be merged with Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), Planning and Development Division and other departments of federal government. In this regard, sources said the federal government has to legislate and issue notifications.
About the Ministry of Social Welfare and Special Education, sources said that 12 institutions will be merged with federal organisations. According to the documents available with BR, the ministry proposed to the Implementation Commission to merge Pakistan Bait-ul-Maal, National Library and Resource Center Islamabad, National Council of Social Welfare (NCSW), The National Institute of Special Education, National Training Center for Special Persons, National Braille Press, The Women Welfare and Development Center, Social Welfare Training Institution, National Trust for the Disabled (NTD), National Council for Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons (NCRDP), Trust for Voluntary Organisations (TVO) and Centres and Institutions of Special Education in Islamabad with federal organisations.
For this purpose, the federal government has to amend or repeal Ordinances, Orders and Acts issued from time to time. About the Ministry of Social Welfare and Special Education, the government has to amend or repeal Ordinances and Acts including Disabled Persons (Employment and Rehabilitation), Ordinance, 1981, National Council for the Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons (NCRDP), Resolution, 1956, National Council of Social Welfare (NCSW), Resolution, 1980, National Commission for the Child Welfare and Development, Charitable Endowment Act, National Trust for Disabled (NTD), Charitable Endowment Act and The Pakistan Bait-ul-Maal, Act 1991.
When contacted, senior parliamentarian Senator Professor Khurshid Ahmed said there was provision in the 18th Amendment of the Constitution that the Implementation Commission and Ministry for Inter Provincial Co-ordination could raise such issue in the CCI for discussion. He said the CCI would take a final decision if the Federal Government wanted to merge some departments with the Center. Answering a question, he said the Parliament has to legislate if the government wants to merge some institutions of the ministries which are being transferred to provinces.