Federal cabinet approves action plan for Pak PWD’s abolition; AFMC to carry out maintenance works
Abdullah Jan
Islamabad: The federal cabinet on Wednesday approved the action plan for the abolition of Pakistan Public Works Department (Pak PWD) and decided the formation of a Pakistan Infrastructure Development Company to oversee federal development projects and Asset And Facility Management Company for repair and maintenance works.
The cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, also decided to hand over the federal government projects in the provinces to the relevant provincial departments.
Similarly, the Asset and Facility Management Company would be established to carry out the repair and maintenance work currently being done by the Pak PWD. After their classification, the PWD employees would be transferred to relevant ministries and a golden handshake scheme would also be introduced for them.
Moreover, the cabinet also decided to computerise the record of all PWD properties and called for completing the transition process within two weeks.
The federal cabinet was also briefed about the performance of the committee formed to reduce the government’s volume. It was told that the committee would complete the information gathering about the unnecessary departments of the ministries of IT, Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit Baltistan, States and Frontier Regions, Industries and Production, and National Health Services by July 12 and present proposals before the cabinet by first week of August, after consultation with the relevant ministries.
Moreover, it was told that after July 19, similar information would also be sought from other ministries and recommendations would be tabled regarding the closure or merger of their departments.
The cabinet granted a one-year extension till June 30, 2025, in the expiry period of POR Cards of 1.45 million Afghan refugees legally staying in Pakistan.
On the housing ministry’s recommendation, the meeting also approved transferring the building of Federal Lodges-II in Peshawar to the Election Commission of Pakistan for establishing the permanent office of the provincial Election Commission.
The meeting approved the repatriation of seven accountant members of Appellate Tribunal Inland Revenue to FBR and appointing 14 officers in the tribunal benches, as proposed by the ministry.
On the health ministry’s recommendation, the cabinet approved the appointment of Joint Secretary Muhammad Iqbal as Administrator of National Council for Homeopathy.
It also decided to revoke the accreditation of Bahawalpur Medical College for its failure to meet the required standards of Pakistan Medical and Dental Council. The students of the colleges would be shifted to other medical colleges.
The prime minister questioned as why the college was allowed to function despite not meeting the standards and asked the Prime Minister Inspection Commission to probe into the matter.
Prime Minister Shehbaz also formed a committee comprising Economic Affairs Minister Ahad Khan Cheema, Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission Jahanzeb Khan and PM’s Coordinator on Health Malik Mukhtar Ahmed asking them to present proposals for the third party audit of the PMDC.
The federal cabinet okayed running of 53 advertisements of the medicines on television، radio and newspapers as proposed by the DRAP’s committee on the subject.
The cabinet approved the appointment of Javed Qureshi as a Director in the Board of Directors of K-Electric, on behalf of the Government of Pakistan.
The prime minister instructed to appoint the well reputed professionals in all the non-functional and incomplete Board of Directors of government entities within two weeks.
The meeting endorsed the decisions of the Economic Coordination Committee made on June 27, 2024, and those of Cabinet Committee on SOEs taken on July 4, 2024.
