Says that the performance of government institutions should be significantly improved through modern technology and better education
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chairs a review meeting on decentralization and improving the efficiency of the federal government in Islamabad. Photo: X
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday directed authorities to speed up the implementation of entitlement measures aimed at improving government performance and efficiency, saying modern technology and better education were needed to increase the efficiency of public institutions.
According to the statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), which chaired a review meeting on the government’s empowerment initiative, the prime minister said: “The performance of state institutions should be significantly improved through modern technology and better education.”
He said eliminating unnecessary vacancies and redundancies remained “an important part of the government’s reform agenda,” adding that the aim was to build a leaner, more efficient public sector.
The statement further added that the Prime Minister noted that the government had already closed the Utility Stores Corporation, Pakistan Public Works Department (Pak PWD) and Pakistan Agriculture Storage and Services Corporation (PASSCO) under the entitlement sizing programme.
“The closure of these organizations under the entitlement measures results in savings for the national treasury,” he said.
“PM Shehbaz directed the authorities to conduct a third-party audit of institutions and posts abolished under the program to independently assess the effectiveness and transparency of the reforms,” it said.
He also directed the Rightsizing Committee to complete its remaining recommendations within a month and ordered officials to expedite the implementation of all pending measures aimed at improving government performance.
According to the PMO, officials during the meeting briefed the prime minister on progress under the initiative and informed him that the reforms had reduced the ratio of civilian government expenditure to gross domestic product (GDP).
“Officials said that vacancies across various ministries and government departments had already been eliminated as part of the exercise. The meetings were further informed that proposals for devolution of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and autonomous institutions were being prepared,” the statement read.
Read more: Prime Minister Shehbaz begins the rightsizing effort with the closure of 28 departments
Officials also briefed the prime minister about the government’s privatization program and said, “Privatization of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and First Women Bank Limited has been completed, while measures are underway for privatization of several state-owned enterprises.”
The meeting was attended by Union Ministers Azam Nazeer Tarar, Ahsan Iqbal, Muhammad Aurangzeb and Dr. Musadik Masood Malik, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Privatization Muhammad Ali, Finance Minister Bilal Azhar Kayani and senior officials from relevant ministries and departments.
