Eight departments to be wound up but nobody will lose job.

ISLAMABAD -- Adviser to the Prime Minister on Institutional Reforms and Austerity Dr Ishrat Hussain on Thursday disclosed that only eight government departments would be wound up as part of the reorganisation plan already approved by the cabinet.

He, however, said that the number of these entities would be reduced from 441 to 342 as some would be merged with others and some would go to the provinces.

Dr Ishrat's remarks came days after Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry's statement about the likelihood of abolition of 400 government departments did the rounds on social media.

Ishrat says number of entities will be reduced from 441 to 342

'I have nothing to do with politics. I have nothing to do with what Fawad Chaudhry has said,' the prime minister's adviser, who heads two task forces on civil services reforms and austerity, told the Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat which met here with Senator Talha Mehmood in the chair.

He said nobody would lose their job and those serving the organisations being shut would be transferred to some other departments.

He said the proposal had been approved by the cabinet and an implementation committee headed by him had been formed.

Dr Hussain said the cabinet had also approved merger of various federal entities into new poverty alleviation and social security division, merger of commerce and textile division, abolition of capital administration and transfer of activities to relevant sectoral ministries, reorganisation of the national health services ministry.

He said proposals for upgrade of the establishment division to the human resource management division for the whole federal government and restructuring of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and its placement under direct supervision of the prime minister were also under consideration of the task force.

He said another proposal for across-the-board enhancement of retirement age from 60 years to 63 years was also being examined. He, however, observed that there would be no difference between dead wood and performers if it was done.

He said other proposals approved by the cabinet were related to the security of tenure of civil servants, process of postings of secretaries, selection process of chief executives of 65 autonomous bodies and corporations, appointment of technical advisers to ministers, monetisation of transport allowance, training strategy for cadre and ex-cadre officers and objective-based performance...