Capacity building: ‘Accountability to promote efficiency’

Performance audits necessary to assess efficiency: CM.

LAHORE:

Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said on Monday that government departments and institutions had to enhance their efficiency to provide better services to the masses. He was presiding over a meeting to review proposals for capacity-building in government departments.

He said a system of self-accountability would be evolved to enhance the performance of government departments and institutions. He said they should play an active role in resolving people’s problems.

Earlier, the Lahore division commissioner and Lahore Development Authority director general gave a detailed briefing on public sector management reforms and capacity-building.

The chief minister said a fundamental change was needed to extend better services to the citizens. He said a spirit of public service was necessary, and taking advantage of information technology was very important. He said the government was utilizing information technology for capacity- building.

Sharif said a performance audit of all departments and institutions was necessary to assess their efficiency regularly.

He said the government would adopt an effective mechanism to ensure that honest and hard working officials are encouraged and those with poor performance are held accountable.

The chief minister said the training system for government staff should be modernised. He said fundamental reforms would be introduced in the service delivery system. He said provincial departments would have to set targets for the next four years and devise a comprehensive mechanism to assess their achievements.

Sharif issued instructions for the formation of sub-committees to formulate final recommendations for capacity-building in the departments. He ordered that sub committees submit their proposals on time.

Participants of the meeting gave several proposals for capacity-building.

Provincial Ministers Rana Sanaullah, Tanvir Aslam Malik, Provincial Assembly memeber Ayesha Ghaus Pasha, chief secretary, the additional chief secretary, Planning and Development Board chairman and experts from the private sector also attended the meeting.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 27^th, 2014.