NA saves 30% budget, cuts 20% posts

The National Assembly Secretariat anticipates a substantial saving of 30% against its Rs17 billion annual budget, as the recent reforms by the speaker have already resulted in 30% savings and reduced the workforce by nearly 20%. This includes the abolition of 302 posts and the return of Rs8.6 billion to the government's coffers, which accounts for 30% of the combined allocations for fiscal years 2024-25 and 2025-26.

Senior officials at the secretariat expect significant savings for this fiscal year, which is also projected to be around Rs17 billion. The reforms have been designed to introduce greater transparency in the appointment process, shield the speaker from political interference, and ensure appointments are made based on laws and rules.

These changes come at a time when the federal government is grappling with the challenge of reducing its bloated size and implementing civil service reforms. The current ad-hoc measures such as executive allowance and All-Pakistan Service Provincial Disparity allowance could exacerbate disparities if not addressed. The cabinet committee on rightsizing has yet to announce any comprehensive reforms; instead, piecemeal measures have been taken in the past two years.

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb convened a meeting of the sub-committee on rightsizing to assess progress on the ongoing rightsizing exercise and deliberate on ways to hasten the implementation of approved recommendations. However, the finance minister emphasized the need for a more decisive approach towards implementation and stressed the importance of quantifying recurring savings to ensure they are fully accounted for in the budget and medium-term fiscal framework.

Interestingly, the reforms introduced by National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq have led to employees now being required to submit annual returns and wealth statements, which will be made public by the Federal Board of Revenue, similar to other civil servants.