PM Imran Khan directs fed ministers to improve performance

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday said that the federal ministers had to further bring improvement in their performance as they are no more inexperienced after two-and-a-half-years in the government, ARY NEWS reported.

The prime minister was addressing a ceremony to sign ‘Performance Agreements of the Federal Government for the Year 2020-21′ in Islamabad attended by ministers and special assistants to the prime minister.

“The government could not deliver unless its ministers show performance,” he said adding that their real performance would be analyzed by the masses after completion of their five-year tenure.

The prime minister while sharing the early issues faced by the incumbent government said that they were not getting proper figures from departments as every institution was quoting separate numbers.

“There should be a central system where every department should present a briefing so that the incoming government could prepare for its tenure,” he suggested while citing an example of the US President-elect Joe Biden who is given two months to prepare his team ahead of formally assuming the charge.

The prime minister said that he even spent sleepless nights due to the challenge faced by him to rule the government.

“The biggest challenge incumbent government is facing is regarding power sector as we are providing a subsidy of Rs 2,500 billion to the energy sector,” he said adding that providing electricity at better rates to the masses is among their top priorities.

Imran Khan said that whenever flour prices go up, the federal government is being blamed, however, the real powers in this regard lie with the provinces.

“We want to use the subsidy for improving our exports besides also targeting the lower segments of society,” he said.

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Further citing an example of Malaysia where pensions were turned as a source of profit, the prime minister said that his adviser on Institutional Reforms Dr Ishrat Hussain was planning reforms in the civil bureaucracy so that it could perform in an efficient manner. “Multi-billion dollar projects are in pipeline due to bureaucratic hurdles,” he lamented.

Imran Khan further said that in order to improve the rupee value they have to ensure maintaining the current account in surplus. “Our economy is moving towards a better direction after a struggle of two and a half years,” he said.