Recovery of plots, salary reduction on the cards

ISLAMABAD:THE National Austerity Commitee (NAC) has recommended recovering more than one plot from civil and military bureaucrats, judges, and other influential segments of society, said a report.

All those who possess extra plots given to them at throwaway prices will be recovered and auctioned to retire the rising public debt, officials said.

The NAC recommended reducing salaries/ perks for parliamentarians by 15 per cent and reduction in government employees’ salaries by 10 per cent till June 2024. It proposed installation of pre-paid meters in gas and electricity sectors all over the country.

The NAC assigned the Ministry of Finance to work out the financial impact of each recommendation for ataching to the final version of the report. According to rough and initial estimates, the NAC recommendations could save the national exchequer resources ranging from Rs500 billion to Rs1,000 billion on an annual basis if implemented in its true leter and spirit.

The NAC recommended slapping a ban on foreign visits and only obligatory visits should be allowed with the permission of competent authority. It recommended the adoption of an e-procurement system at all tiers of government.

“As a technocrat, we have finalised major recommendations without consideration of any powerful segments as we proposed austerity for all segments of the society, including parliamentarians, civil and military bureaucrats, judges and any other influential group,” an NAC member said.

The NAC also considered that the commitee report would be tabled before the federal cabinet to get approval from the highest decisionmaking forum in the country. The NAC recommended abolishing all discretionary schemes for parliamentarians. It is yet to be seen how Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif-led government is going to approve these recommendations at a time when the government has jacked up the controversial Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS) Achievement Programme from Rs68 billion to Rs89 billion for the current fiscal year.

However, only recently the government increased SDGS Achievement Programme funding by Rs3 billion and it went up from Rs86 billion to Rs89 billion.

The NAC recommended that the size of the federal cabinet should not exceed more than 30 members. In case of any compulsion, other members of the federal cabinet will work on a pro bono basis. The legislators/ parliamentarians at federal and provincial levels should sacrifice in terms of salaries/perks by 15 percent. The NAC proposed a 10 per cent cut in salaries of government employees at all levels.