ISLAMABAD - District Management Group (DMG), colloquially called Baboos, are lobbying hard with the ruling PPP to get a lions share in the promotions that the Central Selection Board (CSB) would consider next month. According to well-placed sources, the CSB, which is scheduled for November 15, 2009, would take up proposals to promote at least 70 civil servants from all cadres in grade 20 for promotion to the second highest pay scale of the federal bureaucracy. In a bid to increase its discretion in the promotions process, the government has shifted the chair of the CSB to the Secretary Establishment from the Chairman Federal Public Service Commission. It is also relevant to mention that FPSC, which is supposed to be an autonomous body of an apex authority on senior level recruitment and promotions, is running headless for the last over six months. According to the sources, the government has been deliberately delaying the appointment of Chairman FPSC in a bid to keep the Constitutional body dormant. Anecdotal evidences clearly show that successive governments remained uneasy with the FPSC as it endeavored to uphold merit both in recruitment and promotions at every instance. It is also relevant to note that the amendment in the FPSC law that enabled shifting of the CSB chair from the FPSC Chairman had envisaged a Parliamentarian to head the Board. Deviating from the spirits of the amendment, the government has instead empowered the Secretary Establishment Division as head of the CSB. According to sources, out of over 70 vacancies in grade 21, two-thirds or nearly 50 belong to the Secretariat Group. As per the promotion policy, other cadres including DMG, Information Group, Postal Service, and Accounts Groups were to get one-third of the promotions against the available vacancies in the senior grade especially 20 and 21. The sources pointed out that throughout the recent promotions in higher grades, the DMG has been grabbing a major share of promotions in clear violation of the incumbent policy framed under the relevant law. Therefore, the sources added, this time again the DMG is going to get most of the promotions through the CSB meeting next month.