Ministry of Water and Power has reportedly not nominated on merit the officials for a training program to be held in Malaysia from 4th June to 11th June 2014. Sources revealed that the Ministry designed a training program with Malaysia under a "Malaysian Technical Co-operation Programme 2014". The subject of the training is "Renewable and Green Energy as Alternative" and 15 officials from the Ministry, its attached departments, and the four provinces have been nominated.
Those nominated, however, would not be able to use the training they receive as they are working in other fields. Reliable sources told this correspondent that the Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Asif's PSO, Amjad Hafeez, has been nominated for the training programme. Another nominated official is Naeem Saleem working as SO (Legal) in the Ministry for the last two years.
Syed Mushtaq Shah, Deputy Manager (XEN, TESCO) incharge Complaint Cell in the Ministry was also nominated. A lecturer of Agriculture University, Peshawar, was also among those nominated for the programme. All these three officials have already availed a two-week capacity building training in the UK in 2012 while Amjad Hafeez also participated in a two-month training program in Japan in 2012.
The Ministry has nominated three persons from thermal section of PPIB on the recommendations of MD PPIB - one each from Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan; two from ENERCON have been nominated and two from AEDB, which is the most relevant department.
Sources said the recently transferred Deputy Secretary Administration of the Ministry "manipulated" the nominations. No one has been nominated from relevant agencies including Pakistan Council of Renewable Energy Technologies of Ministry of Science and Technology, Quaid-i-Azam Solar Park, Punjab, Gaddani Coal Park, Hydel and Solar department KPK, Coal Department Sindh, and Pakistan Engineering Council. Source said the cost per individual to attend the training programme is estimated at Rs 550,000 to Rs 600,000 which will be jointly borne by Malaysia and the department concerned. All the formalities like visa and arrangements have been completed.