PESHAWAR - Chief Minister Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Mahmood Khan on Wednesday expressed satisfaction over performance of the Performance Management and Reforms Unit and especially lauded the citizen portal, revenue case management, task management system and holding of open courts under the unit.

However, he directed for strict monitoring of file tracking system in order to speed up official matters. He also directed to submit him fortnightly data of performance of all the districts and said that transfers and postings would be made on the basis of performance in the future.

“Monitoring and evaluation of government institutions and system of accountability is pre-requisite of good governance. This is our desire and vision to promote transparency and sensitise the public sector institutions to achieve their goals in letter and spirit”, he added.

He expressed these views during a surprise visit to Performance Management and Reforms Unit at Civil Secretariat. The chief minister was briefed about the PMRU, system of redressing complaints and overall performance.

He was told that the PMRU established in 2016 was a dedicated unit under direct supervision of Chief Secretary KP to evaluate performance of provincial and district governments’ departments. Objectives of PMRU included establishing culture of quantified performance management, improving public service delivery through reforms and innovations, promoting transparency and accountability, e-governance and use of digital technologies.

The chief minister said that the purpose behind establishment of the unit was noble but more important was the understanding to know the professional strategies, transparency and performance evaluation of government institutions, which, he said, were well directed steps for good and transparent governance.

The developed nations introduced these concepts to sensitise government machinery and its officials for efficient utilisation of public resources. He made it clear that there should be check and balance on the targets given to the institutions for the welfare of public.

The chief minister said that there were two basic purposes behind establishment of units like PMRU. The first purpose is to monitor physical progress of government initiatives and the other directly linked to overall perception change of general public about effectiveness of these initiatives.  The chief minister said that the performance of departments should be visible for public.

He appreciated the system of PMRU to monitor performance of government departments and district administrations as well as to improve public service delivery. He also lauded technical support provided by the PMRU to develop Pakistan Citizen Portal at national-wide complaint redressal system.

Mehmood Khan was informed that the PMRU Task Management System had been implemented by all departments and districts whereby time-bound tasks were assigned to secretaries and deputy commissioners. The district governments’ performance is being monitored through District Performance Monitoring Framework (DPMF) whereby monthly data is reported to the chief secretary office by all devolved departments.

He was also informed about price checking activities under the unit through digital system which record price checking inspections by district administration. Progress is reviewed in quarterly review meetings by the chief secretary, he was told.

The chief minister was briefed that the open courts’ culture had also been revitalised by the PMRU and now all district administration officials held open courts on regular basis. Specific open courts are also being arranged for female, minorities and disabled people. PMRU is also assisting the KP government to establish a centralised human resource management system, he was told.

The chief minister on this occasion lauded Revenue Case Management System that is aimed to curtail long-standing case delays. The system is already piloted in 1 0 districts. It is now being upgraded and will be extended to all remaining districts. The chief minister said that the province had limited resources. We are trying to enhance the financial base of the province. The revenue case management system of the PMRU can play an important role in this regard, he said.