Merger of several depts of Ministry of Science and Tech proposed

Islamabad: A sub-committee of the Federal Government's High-Power Committee on Right Sizing has recommended the merger of several low-performing institutions in the Ministry of Science and Technology or with other departments.

According to the report, these recommendations include the Pakistan Council for Science and Technology (PCST) and Council for Works and Housing Research (CWHR), Pakistan Council for Renewable Energy Technologies (PCRET). It involves merging into another institution and transferring the Ministry of Education to the universities working under the supervision of the Ministry of Science and Technology.

If the Right Sizing Committee approves the proposal, the matter will be presented to the Federal Cabinet for a final decision.

The notification of the Sub-Committee of the High-Powered Committee on Right-Sizing of the Federal Government was issued in June and it raised questions regarding the functioning of various departments within the Ministry of Science and Technology, their justification for existence, revenue collection and self-reliance.

It is also reported that the Ministry of Science and Technology has demanded that the Pakistan Halal Authority (PHA), established as a subsidiary body in 2016, should remain under it, but the members of the sub-committee suggested that the PHA should be placed under the administrative control of the Cabinet Division.

Meanwhile, the sub-committee raised questions that PHA's functions overlap with other departments within the Ministry of Science and Technology, such as the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) and the Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR).

The sub-committee is expected to recommend the merger of PHA and PSQCA before possible transfer to another ministry.

The panel also expressed concern that despite the annual budget of PCSIR running into billions of rupees, the revenue was almost non-existent.

Officials of the ministry have expressed concern over the recommendations of the sub-committee. They said that nine institutions under the Ministry of Science and Technology are working without a future head. They said that it is the leadership gap due to which the performance of many departments is poor.

Among the departments facing leadership crisis are PCST, PSQCA, CWHR, National Meteorological Institute of Pakistan, Pakistan Science Foundation, National Institute of Electronics, National Institute of Oceanography, COMSATS University and Pakistan National Accreditation Council.

The final recommendations of the Right Sizing Committee may lead to major changes in the structure and operations of the Ministry of Science and Technology.