Department Of Public Enterprises Odisha, the Department of Public Enterprises has been leading the reform programme of the State PSUs. It has a total staff strength of 52 which makes it one of the leanest Departments within the Government.
The Department of Public Enterprises is headed by a Cabinet Minister and the Secretariat is headed by a Commissioner-cum-Secretary to the Government of Orissa, assisted by an Additional Secretary to Government, two Under Secretaries to Government, two Desk Officers & two Section Officers. Besides, two Deputy Directors who are specialists in management of the Public Sector Reforms & Finance are providing technical advice to the Department.
Out of the above two Deputy Directors, one is from the Senior Cadre of Orissa Finance Service (OFS), who is also acting as AFA of the Department for rendering financial advice. As regards to ministerial and technical support staffs, there are nine Asst. Section Officers and three Senior Economic Investigators / Statistical Investigators are working in the Department.
In the meantime Orissa State Renewal Fund Society (OSRFS) has been set-up under the Administrative control of the Department of Public Enterprises for continuation of Public Enterprises Reform Programme after closure of DFID assisted PE Reform Programme, Phase-II with effect from 31.12.2008.
Functions
The Department of Public Enterprises oversees the functions of the State’s Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) and advises on their efficient management and control in the functional areas, such as finance, production, organisation and marketing.
As per the rules of business, the functions of the Department are:
i. Laying down general policies and guidelines for effective management, marketing, finance, services, etc., of PSU and periodic review of their performance.
ii. Regulating industrial project proposals through project approval committee.
iii. Prescribing norms for financial discipline, budgeting, accounting and audit in the PSUs
iv. Eliciting information and data from public sector undertakings and advising on preventive measures against their becoming sick.
v. Prescribing norms for mutual cooperation and coordination among the PSUs.
vi. Prescribing model Memorandum of Understandings (MoU) and reviewing the progress of MoUs.
An important role that the Department has come to play in the recent years is overseeing the public enterprise reform programme of the Government (more details in the programme section) and running the social safety netfor redundant employees of the State’s PSUs.