ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani Wednesday created four new federal ministries to absorb leftover departments at the federal level after the devolution of 18 federal ministries to the provinces under the 18th amendment.

This is in addition to the three ministries created in July this year, bringing the total to seven. The cabinet division on Wednesday notified the new ministries as the ministry of national heritage and integration, ministry of disaster management, ministry of national regulations and services and ministry of food security and research.

The prime minister also allocated the portfolios of three ministries to ministers working without a portfolio. As per notification, Mir Hazar Khan Bijrani has been allocated the ministry of inter-provincial coordination, Samina Khalid Ghurki was given the ministry of national heritage and integration and Israrullah Zehri was made minister of food security and research. The ministries of disaster management and national regulations and services are likely to be allocated to the coalition partners.

It is to be mentioned that as per the 18th amendment, the federal government completed the process of devolution of 18 federal ministries to the provinces on June 30 this year. However, on July 30 the prime minister created three new federal ministries ñ ministry of national harmony, ministry of human resources development and ministry of professional and vocation training ñ allocated to the PML-Q whose ministers head most of the ministries devolved to the provinces.

According to the notification, in order to ensure clarity in roles and integrated service delivery and efficiency in administering the federal administrative function after the implementation of the 18th amendment, restructuring has been done and four new administrative units (ministries) have been created in terms of rule 3(2) of the Rules of Business, 1973. The notification stated that under rule 3 (2) of the Rules of Business, 1973, the Prime Minister may whenever necessary, constitute a new ministry consisting of one or more divisions.

Under the new arrangement all federal administrative subjects which remained with the federal government after the devolution process under the 18th amendment have been restructured.

The restructuring has been made in line with the principles of good governance as this arrangement would bring cohesion, enhance efficiency and improve service delivery in administering federal subjects which were already assigned to different federal ministries.

The ministry of national heritage and integration was assigned to look after the National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage of Pakistan, cultural pacts and protocols with other countries, international agreement/assistance in the field of archaeology, national museums and historical monuments declared to be of national importance, Quaid-e-Azam Papers wing, Pakistan Academy of Letters, National Language Authority, Urdu Dictionary Board and Urdu Science board, Standards for Higher Education, national and other languages used for official purpose, Quaid-e-Azam Academy, Aiwan-i-Iqbal, Quaid-e-Azam Mazar Management, Quaid-e-Azam memorial fund.

The departments that were put under the ministry of national disaster management included National Disaster Management Authority, Pakistan Environmental Protection Council, Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency, Pakistan Environmental Planning and Architectural Consultants Limited, Global Environmental Impact Study Centre, Islamabad, policy, legislation, plans, strategies and programmes with regard to disaster management including environmental protection and preservation, coordination, monitoring and implementation of environmental agreements with other countries, international agencies and forums.

The departments that come under the ministry of regulation and service division included Pakistan Medical and Dental Council, Pakistan Council for Nursing, College of Physicians and Surgeons, National Councils for Tibb and Homeopathy, Pharmacy Council of Pakistan, international exchange of students and teachers, foreign studies and training, national association in medical and allied fields such as Pakistan Red Crescent Society and TB Association, directorate of central health establishment, Academy of Educational Planning and management, Central Board of Film Censor Islamabad, external examination and equivalence of degrees and diplomas, Commission for Standard Higher Education, Women and Chest Disease Hospital, Rawalpindi and Federal Government Tuberculosis Centre, Rawalpindi.

The departments that come under the ministry of national food security and research division include economic coordination and planning in respect of food, import and export of food grains and food stuff including quality control/assurances, availability and storage, collection of statistics regarding production, consumption, prices, imports and exports of food grains, coordination with aid/assistance agencies in respect of food sector, Pakistan Agricultural Research Council and other federal agriculture research organisations, plant protection-pesticides import and standardisation, aerial spray, plant quarantine and locust control in its international aspect and maintenance of locust warning, federal seed certification and registration, standardization and import of fertilizer, administrative control of Pakistan central cotton committee, agricultural policy institute, administrative control of PASSCO, Pakistan dairy development company, livestock and dairy development board and fisheries development board.

It is to be mentioned that the departments transferred to the new ministries were previously working under different ministries.