THE much talked about process of rightsizing of the Federal Government has begun with an announcement to close down, privatize or transfer 28 departments in five key federal ministries to other ministries or federating units. The Cabinet Committee on Institutional Reforms has also recommended the elimination of 150,000 vacant positions, a ban on contingency recruitment and the outsourcing of non-core services such as cleaning and janitorial work. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, while presiding over a meeting regarding the size of the government structure and the reduction of expenses, said that reducing government expenditure is top priority, adding the aim of the government’s institutional reforms is to reduce the burden on the national exchequer and improve the services provided to the people.
There was definitely a need to right size and streamline the working of both the federal and provincial governments as with the passage of time a number of ministries, divisions, departments and institutions were created on considerations other than merit. Duplication or overlapping of the responsibilities and roles of some ministries and institutions in the federal and provincial governments is also a reality and it is rightly argued that the exercise to jettison the unnecessary burden should have been carried out immediately after delegation of powers to the provinces under the famous 18th Amendment in the Constitution. There are also legitimate concerns about the size of some ministries and departments as they are stuffed with superfluous manpower, inducted mainly on political considerations and contributing either nothing or negligible to the cause of their institutions. In this backdrop, it is hoped that the relevant committee, headed by Finance Minister, Muhammad Aurangzeb, will review the entire process minutely and make well thought-out recommendations, which no Government in future would think to reverse. The details emerging about the first phase of the rightsizing seem to be a step in the right direction and its implementation would go a long way in improving things vis-à-vis five federal ministries and their attached departments. The decision to outsource non-core functions is understandable but recommendation to abolish in a wholesale manner all 150,000 vacant posts is not advisable as it could badly affect core functions of the concerned entities. Saving should not be the only criteria for taking decisions of far-reaching consequences.
