Chief Secretary Sindh, Syed AsifHyder Shah, presided over a significant meeting of the Secretaries Committee at the Sindh Secretariat. The meeting was attended by all administrative secretaries, including the Chairman of the Planning Board and Chairman of Anti-Corruption, with commissioners participating via video link. The agenda encompassed various crucial topics such as anti-corruption cases, development projects, automation of employee pensions, court cases, employee promotions, disciplinary actions, and the Public Accounts Committee.
During the meeting, the Secretary of Implementation and Coordination provided a briefing, revealing that since January 2023, different departments have referred 99 cases to the Anti-Corruption department, of which 21 have been resolved, and 78 remain pending. The Department of Food accounted for the highest number of cases at 46. Additionally, there are currently 1285 disciplinary action cases against government employees, with the Department of School Education having the highest count at 562. Furthermore, it was disclosed that there are 204 pending pension cases across various departments. Moreover, a total of 2745 directives and public complaints have been received from the offices of the President of Pakistan, Prime Minister of Pakistan, and Chief Minister of Sindh since 2023, out of which 2369 have been resolved, with the remainder expected to be resolved soon. Chief Secretary Syed AsifHyder Shah expressed concern over delays in employee pensions, emphasizing a zero-tolerance policy towards such delays.
Plans were announced to fully digitize pension processes, with the Information Technology Department tasked with overseeing digitization across all departments. Timely responses to Supreme Court, High Court, and Lower Judiciary cases were urged, with the suggestion of establishing separate sections for court cases within all departments and assigning focal persons within three days. Syed AsifHyder Shah directed all departments to recover official vehicles from retired government officers and emphasized the swift resolution of encroachments by all deputy commissioners on government lands.
Delays in various projects were attributed to the non-provision of land by the Revenue Department. It was decided that the performance of Deputy Commissioners would be reviewed in future sessions. Finally, Chief Secretary Syed AsifHyder Shah stressed the responsibility of senior officers to propose reforms to the government and announced plans to provide briefings on necessary reforms in various departments during Cabinet meetings.
The Secretaries Committee meeting concluded with a resolution to promptly address these issues and ensure efficient governance in the province of Sindh.
