Punjab has no dearth of funds: minister

Says province lacks planning; technology will streamline <br /> the process

KARACHI: A lack of appropriate planning has been the only hurdle Punjab is facing for years when it comes to development, said Punjab Finance Minister Makhdoom Hashim Jawan Bakht.

“Punjab does not have dearth of funds or donors, it is the technology which can help us in streamlining the process of planning,” Bakht said at a seminar jointly organised by the International Growth Centre, Consortium for Development Policy Research and Punjab Planning and Development Department on Tuesday.

He said the most difficult thing in the public sector was decision-making. “Bureaucracy plays a vital role in the decision-making process and acts as an engine; and inducting technology into all such planning and decision-making processes could make a difference,” he said.



To gain fruitful results, the government would improve its monitoring process by enhancing the public sector’s performance, said the minister, adding, “we are engaging the private sector to enhance public-sector capabilities.” “Punjab’s next five-year development plan is based on agriculture and small and medium enterprises and the government will facilitate them through all means,” he announced. The government has already initiated reforms to improve the ease of doing business and efforts were under way to launch a business portal. Speaking on the occasion, Punjab Finance Secretary Sheikh Hamid Yaqoob stressed the need for fiscal planning in development projects.

“To increase departmental resources and for the preparation of annual development programmes, the government is providing opportunities to consult with related experts,” he said, adding that for the purpose many departments had already initiated work on a mid-term budget framework. Punjab Planning and Development Department Chairman Habibur Rehman Gillani said the government was introducing a Punjab growth strategy, which would help the province to promote its growth model.

“Apart from this, the government is also working on youth development, which will help the youth in securing employment opportunities throughout the province,” Gillani added.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 23^rd, 2019.

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