Recoveries from pensions by AGPR: Finance Division directed to examine cases of 64 private secretaries

ISLAMABAD: The Sub-Committee of the Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat directed the Finance Division to examine cases of 64 private secretaries who were subject to recoveries from pensions by the Accountant General Pakistan Revenues (AGPR) on compassionate grounds.

The sub-committee met with MNA Mohsin Dawar in the chair at the Parliament Lodges on Tuesday. The committee also directed the Finance Division to direct the AGPR to stop immediately deductions from the retired private secretaries who were promoted on rules prior to issuance of office memorandum dated 31st March 2021.

Memorandum dated 31st March 2021 giving effect to the revised conditions/criteria for grant of time scale to the private secretary BS-17. The committee was of the view that all such rules/criteria should be made part of civil servant’s appointment and promotion rules, 1973.

The Finance Division apprised that an office memorandum on 31st March 2021 was issued with the approval of the prime minister for grant of financial benefit to private secretaries who had served in Basic Scale (BS) 17 for five years was made eligible for grant of BS-18.

The officials said that after grant of BS 18-time scale benefit of previous service in BS-16 and below was to be extended with reference to calculation of length of service for grant of BS-19 as per formula laid down in the Establishment Division’s office memorandum (OM) dated 2.6.1983. However, they said that contrary to this approved formula private secretaries started to demand benefits of their previous service for grant of time scale BS-18, which was admissible for BS-19.

They said the Establishment Division OM was meant for promotion only and by giving its benefit to private secretaries for grant of time scale only as special dispensation has been misused and has created disparity among civil servants of different cadres, which has resulted in an unending litigation in courts of law and also caused various administrative and financial issues.

The Sub-Committee on matters/complaints regarding illegal orders imposed by the manager Printing Corporation of Pakistan (PCP), Karachi against staff was satisfied by the administrative actions taken by managing director PCP.

The Sub-Committee directed the PCP management to pursue the case of manager PCP Karachi press presently under adjudication before the Sindh High Court (SHC).

The Sub-Committee was also apprised that the decision about all the 11 employees dismissed from service was upheld as illegal and their services were restored. The committee was further apprised that the manager has been sent on forced leave and an inquiry conducted against him.

The officials told the Sub-Committee that the inquiry had been completed and submitted to the Cabinet Division for further action however the SHC had restraint the Cabinet Division to take any adverse action against the manager till the case was under adjudication in court.

The managing director PCP apprised the Sub-Committee that a proposal was being contemplated for making PCP commercially viable. He apprised that with financial burden and liabilities the only way to run the organisation was its merger with Security Printing Press, Karachi and disposal of its few assets to clear the liabilities.

The Sub-Committee would submit its recommendations to the main committee. The meeting was attended by MNAs Rana Iradat Sharif Khan, Uzma Riaz, Muhammad Aslam Khan, and officers of the Cabinet, the Finance, and the Establishment divisions.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022