Planning dept diverting focus to social sector initiatives

Will use data analytics to gauge impact of such measures

LAHORE: The Punjab government is planning to initiate an impact-based intervention strategy through one of its key departments - the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB).

Earlier, the PITB introduced numerous structural reforms in public offices but each of these was information technology-based intervention through which daily activities could be monitored via centralised monitoring system.

Punjab Planning and Development Department and PITB Chairman Habibur Rehman Gilani shared that the government aspired to introduce new concepts and was in the process of directing the momentum from infrastructure-led growth to social sector-led initiatives.



“We are now moving towards data analytics,” Gilani said in an interview with The Express tribune. “Through this initiative, we will utilise raw data to measure accurately if social sector initiatives bring any significant impact to the lives of people of an area or not.”

Elaborating, Gilani added that the department would be able to predict if literacy in an area was rising due to the presence of public-sector schools. Similarly, it can also be judged whether a cardiology institute in an area manages to curb heart diseases.

“Based on data analytics, we can improve service delivery by investigating real problems of a particular area or sector,” he pointed out.

According to Gilani, the bureaucracy works in accordance with the government’s vision and the present leadership’s vision is more inclined towards social sector development initiatives as opposed to the infrastructure-led development prioritised earlier.

However, he argued, the infrastructure development had its own benefits since every service delivery needed a place and a road and even social sector programmes required infrastructure development in the shape of buildings, etc.

“Infrastructure projects are easy to conceive and design,” he highlighted. “They also act as a backbone of social sector development but over the years they have catered so much to the demand that our social spending has decreased.” He noted that previously few measures were taken in the health sector but many other important sectors including livestock were totally neglected.

According to Gilani, the Planning and Development Department faces a dual challenge ie how to increase investment in the social sector and enhance capacity of departments and human resources to undertake such projects.

Apart from this, keeping the infrastructure updated and completing ongoing mega infrastructure projects could cause additional trouble.

“Both components should go together, if you make roads and fail to work on population, that will outweigh the initiative and drag the province into a vicious circle,” he remarked.

The chairman expressed the intention of working on livestock and dairy development, research and development, tourism, sports, art and culture because these sectors were closely linked with social sector development.

The Planning and Development Department in the current fiscal year has managed to secure funds for some of the initiatives which it plans to undertake.

According to the chairman, the department is making efforts to establish a Punjab-based incubation centre which will benefit the majority unlike other incubation centres which have high costs.

“This project is under way and it targets those individuals who want to be entrepreneurs after successfully receiving technical or higher education,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 15^th, 2018.

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