The government has reportedly spent million of rupees on capacity building of those Planning Commission officials who left or are at the verge of retirement--a sheer wastage of precious national resources in a country where people are vying for two times bread.
Sources said to the Business Recorder that government sent many abroad under World Bank funded 'Capacity Building Programme' who either got retirement after training or are on the verge of retirement, hence of no benefit to the country in terms of policy making.
Under the rules, the officials below age of 40 are preferred to get training under capacity programme to serve the departments. But against this rule, many officials went to the foreign countries like United Kingdom (UK) and United States (US) for training who were over the age of 50. Majority of the officials from Planning Commission went to United Kingdom and United States. Each official costs Rs 1.5 to Rs 2 million on training to enhance capacity building for services in Planning Commission.
Asif Shaikh went on foreign training and was retired after the course. However, he got the lucrative job of specialist in Planning Commission after his retirement. Another senior official of Planning Commission Shah Nawaz got retirement soon after he returned home after training course with a serious financial blow to the exchequer. Muhammad Shahid currently working as joint chief economist (Macro) went on luxurious trip and is going to get retirement during the month of May.
Another senior official of Planning Commission deputy chief governance Sajida Nasir Malik got the opportunity of a trip abroad under capacity building programme and was retired after arriving in the country.
According to sources, rules do not allow the PS to Secretary Planning Commission to get training under the Capacity Building Programme. But secretary set another unique example to send his PS on luxurious trip abroad by making him section officer (SO).He went abroad and joined Planning Commission after returning home as PS to secretary. "He is also going to get retirement this year," sources added.