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ISLAMABAD, Jan 19 (APP):The federal government has decided to wind up the Pakistan Council for Science and Technology (PCST) as part of its ongoing rightsizing exercise, the National Assembly was informed on Monday.
Parliamentary Secretary for Science and Technology Dr Nikhat Shakeel, while responding to a question raised by MNA Syed Rafiullah during the session, told the House that a Rightsizing Committee headed by the Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue had evaluated the performance of various organisations working under the Ministry of Science and Technology.
She said the committee’s recommendations were approved by the federal cabinet in its meeting held on January 1, 2025.
On the basis of these recommendations, she said, the cabinet approved the winding up of the Pakistan Council for Science and Technology, which had been serving as a policy advisory body on Science, Technology and Innovation.
The parliamentary secretary informed the House that after the closure of PCST, all its functions would be transferred to the Ministry of Science and Technology, including its advisory role to the federal government.
She added that PCST was also serving as the secretariat of the National Commission for Science and Technology (NCST), headed by the prime minister, and that following the winding up of the council, all functions of the NCST secretariat would also be placed at the disposal of the ministry.
Replying to a question about the vacant post of chairman PCST, Dr Shakeel said that a recruitment process had earlier been initiated to fill the position, but it was suspended after the federal government launched the rightsizing exercise.