DUSHANBE, April 13, 2011, Asia-Plus -- As of April 1, 2011, the number of public servants in Tajikistan is estimated at more than 17,600 people, Grez Qosimov, the deputy head of the Public Service Directorate under the President of Tajikistan, announced at a news conference in Dushanbe yesterday.

According to him, women constitute 24.7 percent (more than 4,3000) of the overall number of public servants in the country.

“11,000 state servants work with central authorities and more than 6,000 state-service employees work with local authorities,” Qosimov said.

He noted that a special commission has vetted public servants over the first three months of this year (he did not say how many public servants have been vetted over the report period).  Of those vetted, 22 were dismissed and 89 sent to take refresher training course.  Besides, positions of 41 public servants were downgraded.

Qosimov added that current average monthly wage of public servants in Tajikistan amounted to little more than 500.00 somoni (equivalent to US$112.00).  A monthly wage of high-ranking public servants is more than 2,000 somoni, while the basic salary in the country’s public management system is 350.00 somoni.