No financial package for corrupt employees after PWD closure, PM says

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed that the financial package for Public Works Department (PWD) employees, who will be laid off due to the institution's dissolution, will not apply to those proven guilty of serious corruption charges.

The prime minister chaired a meeting on Sunday to review the legal aspects and final procedures concerning the disbanding of the PWD.

PM Shehbaz also tasked the officials with preparing the final plan for transferring ongoing PWD projects to provinces and relevant departments, while instructing that all final recommendations on the matter of closure be submitted to the cabinet at the earliest.

Furthermore, the premier also ordered the implementation of the age relaxation proposal to re-employ hardworking and honest staffers who have had a short period of employment with the PWD.

The meeting was attended by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Economic Affairs Division Minister Ahad Khan Cheema, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Housing and Works Minister Riaz Hussain Pirzada, and high-ranking officials from the relevant departments.

In a separate meeting, PM Shehbaz assigned the relevant departments the undertaking of implementing the e-office system in all government offices.

Giving a month's deadline, the prime minister warned the officials of Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication that any delay in the execution of the plan would not be tolerated.

"There should be no file work without e-office in the government offices from next month," he said, adding that implementing the plan would enhance transparency in the system, which was the government's top priority.

On the prime minister's direction, the PM Office staff has already completed their e-office training. Last week, PM Shehbaz also started receiving files through the new system.

Highlighting that the e-office is a crucial step towards enhancing governance and promoting digitisation in the country, the PM sought a report on the progress of its implementation within the next two weeks.