KARACHI: Five federal ministries have been identified as the initial focus of a comprehensive rightsizing initiative launched by the federal government under the directives of the IMF. These ministries have been given a deadline of July 12, 2024, to submit their responses, highlighting the urgency of the matter.

The Institutional Reforms Cell of the Cabinet Division has been mandated to undertake this extensive exercise to enhance productive and allocative efficiency across federal structures. Prime Minister has constituted a Committee on Rightsizing of the federal government, tasked with proposing a new architecture for federal functions.

The official document, which was exclusively available to the Daily Business Recorder revealed that the committee, chaired by the Minister for Finance & Revenue during its third meeting decided to circulate a proforma to gather input from five key ministries: Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication, Ministry of Kashmir Affairs & Gilgit Baltistan, Ministry of States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON), Ministry of Industries and Production (MoI&P) and Ministry of National Health Services Regulations & Coordination. These ministries have been given a deadline of July 12, 2024, to submit their responses, highlighting the urgency of the matter.

The committee’s objectives include identifying federal functions that can be undertaken in private mode, determining entirely provincial functions, and recommending a concrete plan to address human resources and asset management during the transition.

This rightsizing initiative is part of broader institutional reforms undertaken by the Cabinet Division’s Institutional Reforms Cell. The outcome of this exercise is expected to impact the structure and efficiency of the federal government significantly.

Meanwhile, official sources emphasized the importance of this initiative in streamlining operations and improving governmental efficiency. However, no official from the targeted ministries is available for comment on the matter.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024