Senior bureaucrats lack competence and initiative: PM

Nawaz expresses concern over bureaucracy's incompetence and inefficiency in regards to service delivery

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif called upon the Evaluation, Monitoring and Delivery Cell on Monday to express concern over the bureaucracy's incompetence and inefficiency in regards to service delivery.

Following the recent fuel crisis, the prime minister has decided to bring about holistic reforms in the civil service structure within four months.

Earlier on Sunday, the premier set up an Evaluation, Monitoring and Delivery Cell in the Prime Minister's Office to keep strict tabs on the workings of key ministries.

The decision came after the premier chaired meeting for two consecutive days in which the reform agenda of the government came under discussion.

Addressing a follow-up meeting on the setting up of the cell the prime minister said, “The government is committed to improve efficiency of key service delivery ministries to bring improvement in the standard of living of the people and to ensure provision of basic facilities of life at grassroots level in all parts of the country.”

“The evaluation of government officers and staff should be done in a meaningful way so that the best of the best can be brought forward to improve government's functioning and service delivery to the people,” he added.

He added the government is focusing on an agenda of economic growth and structural reforms both in the long and short terms.

“Civil service reforms should be oriented towards ensuring welfare of the people.”

The premier further said the best international practices should be followed by bringing about reforms in the civil service in addition to studying the previous studies conducted domestically on the subject.

He said the government is focusing on an agenda of economic growth and structural reforms both in the long and short term. "Civil Service reforms should be oriented towards ensuring the welfare of the people," he said.

“It is a point of concern that various officers even at senior levels are lacking in competence and initiative which is hampering service delivery to the people.”

Further, he asked for a detailed report be presented to him within four months for bringing about holistic reforms in the civil service structure.

Just yesterday, in what appeared to be the first exercise of its kind since taking office, the prime minister paid a surprise visit to two commercial centres of the capital city Islamabad, interacting with shoppers and shopkeepers alike, to take stock of how the government’s recent initiatives have had an effect on prices of daily-use commodities.



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The premier has called a follow-up meeting in this regard next week.

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal, Anusha Rehman, the premier’s daughter Maryam Nawaz Sharif, PM's special assistants Khawaja Zaheer, Tariq Fatemi and MNA Danial Aziz attended the meeting.