KP cabinet calls for expediting recruitment in various departments

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet in its meeting on Thursday expressed concern over the slow recruitment of high-cadre officers in various government departments by the Provincial Public Service Commission and asked the authorities concerned to expedite hiring to ensure filling of vacant positions within a year.
Briefing reporters about the decisions of the cabinet meeting presided by Chief Minister Pervez Khattak, Minister for Information Mushtaq Ghani said a committee had been constituted to review overall performance and matters of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Public Service Commission and expedite hiring process for government departments in the stipulated period. He said it was the need of the hour to strengthen capacity of Public Service Commission to expedite recruitments in various government institutions.
The committee comprising Senior Minister Inayatullah Khan, Minister for Finance Muzaffar Said, Education Minister Atif Khan, Minister for Health Shahram Khan Tarakai and Information Minister Mushtaq Ghani would draw mechanism for gearing up recruitments through PSC and submit its report within next two weeks.
Mushtaq Ghani said the cabinet gave approval of policy and master plan for Information and Communication to bring transparency and fairness and run government affairs in an appropriate manner.
The minister said the government would make investment of approximately Rs7 billion in more than five major fields in the next three years. He said the Information & Communication Technology (ICT) policy had five main features, including governance, public service, business, information technology literacy and research and development.
He said the meeting also approved Canal and Drainage Amendment Act 1973, according to which the penalty amount has been increased from Rs50 to Rs20,000 with maximum imprisonment of two months instead of one month. He said the law would be implementable after provision of alternative sewerage facility to people and launching of an awareness campaign to keep the canals clean.
Mushtaq Ghani said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Judicial Academy (Amendment) Bill 2015 was also approved by the cabinet to give it status of degree awarding institution. Following the amendment, he said the KPJA could award degree, certificates, diploma and other awards. He said controller of examination would be appointed for the KPJA, besides constitution of eight-member academic council.
He said the provincial cabinet had given approval to increase government properties’ rents up to 10 percent on an annual basis. “The cabinet also directed all provincial government departments to present two-year performance report in its next meeting to be held after 15 days,’ he said.
He said the work of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Accountability Commission had been extended through approval of Ihtesab Commission Act and Amendment Bill, enabling the commission to investigate cases till 2004. He said the entire cabinet had agreed to make extension of the commission till 2004.
Regarding the Council of Common Interests (CCI) meeting, he said the government made commitment to allocate funds for Chashma Right Bank Canal for next fiscal 2015-16.However, he regretted that the Centre had made allocation of Rs80-90 billion under its Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP), but it only spent Rs15-20 billion of the total allocated budgetary allocation of PSDP in case of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Regarding reported reshuffling in the provincial cabinet, Mushtaq Ghani said the cabinet observed that it was the right of political leadership to make changes in the cabinet but no such decision had been taken so far. He said a committee was also constituted to bring reforms in all the laws including CrPC to provide cheap and speedy justice to people.
During the meeting, the minister said the chief minister appealed to the people to pinpoint all those involved in corruption, whether in government or semi-government institutions, so that action could be taken against them to enable the government to establish a transparent system.