With adverse economic conditions, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has chosen to expedite the austerity plan by eliminating several ministries and departments, which would significantly reduce state expenditures and increase efficiency.
Plan To Eliminate 5 Ministries
According to his sources, the prime minister plans to eliminate the five ministries as requested in a detailed proposal. This decision is rather strategic in that it allows the government to focus on its primary functions only while at the same time enhancing effectiveness in service provision. Right-sizing has already commenced in the institutional reforms cell established by the prime minister, asking all five federal ministries to submit their recommendations within a week.
List Of Ministries Targeted
Information Technology, Kashmir Affairs, SAFRON (States and Frontier Regions), Industries and Production, and Health Services are such ministries. An initial review highlighted them with the aim of reducing redundancy and overlapping functions within the federal government.
Questions To Ministries
After that, they received eight questions from the Prime Minister’s Office touching on their operations, budget allocations, and roles. Which they were required to answer comprehensively. Therefore, the essence of these inquiries was designed to determine whether or not each ministry is essential or wasteful. The questions seek insight into the core functions of these ministries. How would governance be affected if they ceased operations, and what are the potential savings from disbanding them?
Ministries’ Response And Role Clarification
The five federal ministries have already begun developing answers to these questions, which will shed some light on the operational efficiency and relevance of such ministries given the present economic environment.
Future Steps
The PM also directed provincial governments to clearly define the responsibilities of transferred ministries to avoid duplication of duties. So provincial administrations can effectively fulfill their new roles.
The austerity measure is significant in managing the fiscal deficit, thereby ensuring the effective allocation of resources. Where they are most needed within different sectors. The government hopes this will reduce administrative costs. Improve the general efficiency of public service delivery by minimizing the number of ministries.
