PESHAWAR - Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak has announced manifold increase in basic pay scales and salaries of clerks and said that notification of their upgradation has also been issued.
The decision will benefit about 83,000 clerks of the province under which the junior clerks of BPS-7 have been upgraded to BPS-9, senior clerks of BPS-9 to BS-14, assistants from BPS-11 to BPS-16 and superintendents from BS-16 to BS-17 and above. In this connection, the provincial government will bear additional annual burden of Rs650 million, which has already been implemented from May 1, 2014.
The chief minister has further assured that upgradation package for class-IV, stenographers, computer operators, drivers and employees of the departments of Communication and Works and Irrigation will also be announced very soon.
He said that the provincial government had fulfilled another promise regarding bringing improvement in the working conditions of the employees. He said that clerks play the role of backbone in the official machinery and also asked the clerical community for making commitment that they will fully support his government in the eradication of corruption.
Pervez Khattak was addressing as chief guest at the convention of All Pakistan Clerks Association (APCA) in Government High School No.1, Nowshera Cantonment on Tuesday.
The convention was presided over by Central President Aslam Khan while Speaker KP Assembly Asad Qaiser, APCA Secretary General Fazal Ghaffar Bacha and Provincial Secretary General Sajjad Ghani also addressed. On this occasion, Provincial Minister for Excise and Taxation Mian Jamshiduddin Kakakhel, MNA Dr Imran Khattak, MPAs Khaleeq-ur-Rehman, Idrees Khattak, Obaidullah Mayar and ex-MPA Liaquat Khattak, Malik Ibrar and Rehman Khattak were also present. Clerks present in the convention expressed happiness over the announcement and chanted slogans in favour of Chief Minister Pervez Khattak, coalition government and Imran Khan. The chief minister said that their government is elected with the votes of youth, workers, peasants and low paid government employees and they are fully aware of their problems. He said that the problems of clerks have been solved on priority basis with the hope that they will support us in the elimination of the cancer of corruption. He said that the PTI-led coalition government has made record highest legislation in parliamentary history.
He said that they his party under local government system had fulfilled the pledge of the devolution of powers to gross-root level. He said that under the law funds utilisation powers of the chief minister and ministers have been transferred to village councils and they have been empowered.
In this connection, he said 30 per cent development budget equal to Rs30 billion is being transferred to local government, which after the establishment of village councils will be utilised for the people welfare oriented projects. He said that though he cannot claim that government departments have been purged of corruption, as their standard and restoration of public confidence is still required. However, he said, at the level of police he is quite sure that political interference and influence in the posting of SHOs had been abolished and even his own brother and son-in-law cannot make any recommendation for the posting and transfers of police officers.
Pervez Khattak said that youth and women have overwhelmingly voted PTI and his govt is making all out efforts for their development. He said that playgrounds are being set up at tehsil level in the province. Under the plan, he said 200 playgrounds would be constructed in the province.
The chief minister said that the provincial government had informed the Election Commission of its decision for holding local bodies’ polls before November. But, the Election Commission had ordered new delimitations. Therefore, the local bodies’ elections in KP will be held in November.