Govt takes number of steps for public welfare: Khattak

F.P. Report

PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pervez Khattak has directed for the required staffing of different public sector entities with officers and auxiliary staff throughout the province in order to ensure the full utilization of under-utilized government departments engaged in the provision of social services to the people. The government departments should be responsive to the poor people complaints and should have a structured complaint redressal system along with the public welfare oriented functions, he added.

He was presiding over a meeting that focused on the scale of welfare activities, the legislations, the revamping and the provision of necessary funding and officers and officials to the social welfare department at Chief Minister Secretariat Peshawar. Chief Secretary Muhammad Azam Khan, Additional Chief Secretary, Shahzad Bangash, Secretary Finance Shakeel Qadir, Secretary Social Welfare. Principal Secretary to CM Shahab Ali Shah, Head of SSU Sahibzada Saeed attended the meeting.

The meeting discussed the overall staffing positions, the required officers to overcome the shortage of officers and manpower, the over- lapping of different functions, the current budgeting position, the spending and the revitalization of different institutions under the social welfare department for dedicated social services to the poor segment of the society. The meeting also discussed the new schemes and the ongoing with focus on the provincial government component and the international donors.

The meeting also focused on the issues the creation and rationalization of different functions and the finalization of different laws and regulations by the social welfare department. The meeting was also informed about the status of Zamung Kor, an institution for the state children, the provincial government commitment to certain obligations because of being signatory to different international agreements and made a number of decisions refocusing the social welfare department activities to its dedicated mandate and responsibilities.

Addressing the meeting, the Chief Minister directed to conduct a survey for the shortage of officers and officials of different public sector entities in order to provide them necessary staff to undertake its mandated responsibilities. He also directed for the accelerated recruitment both through public service commission and stop-gap arrangements required for bringing dynamism to the functions of all public sector entities throughout the province.

Regarding the devolved departments and functions from centre to the province, the Chief Minister directed to immediately plan the efficient use of officers and staff in the existing entities having the same functions and responsibilities. The exercise should be undertaken after rationalization and on case to case basis for the adjustment of officers and staff in different departments.

Pervez Khattak directed to monitor the flow of resources to different organizations in private sector and the helping of poor through cash and in other ways so that the resources should not go drained. He directed for the provision of wheel-chair and tricycle and sewing machine only to deserving under the laid down procedure and it should be redefined who is deserving and who should get the kind of services.

Chief Minister said his government had already taken a number of steps for the public welfare and launched pro-poor initiatives. There should be a publicity plan of the social welfare department to raise the public awareness about how to avail these services.

Chief Minister also directed to include the names of all IT employees in different public sector entities who were required and recruited for projects and whose services were required in the long term other than the time bound projects so that they could be also included in the overall regularization process.

CM directed for the reconstitution of the board “Zamung Kor”. His government wanted this project to be a model project. This project needed further improvement in order to get the desired results. His government would encourage all those who were working with zeal and spirit and bringing improvement and directed to show the door to all those who were involved in internal bickering and who were falling short of their targets and responsibilities. His government would never compromise on the welfare of state children.

Similarly, the government also made legislations for the empowering of women, child protection, senior citizens, transgenders. These steps should be taken to the full implementation phase. The social welfare department should also use the provincial FM Radio for the projection of pro-poor, social welfare and efficient services related activities. However, he asked the quarter concerned to look to the overlapping of different functions of the department and come out with the uniformed approach that will bring dynamism to the overall functions and responsibilities of social welfare department.

Pervez Khattak also directed to provide necessary officers and auxiliary staff to the social welfare department and asked the department to send him a proposal for the provision of vehicles. He also directed to visit the government’s sarais and ensure that these were not misused other than the required services. He also approved the handing over of social welfare building established for the rehabilitation of drug addicts to the ANF. He also directed to issue the 10 million rupees to the department.

He also directed to finalize the burn prevention and rehabilitation bill as expeditiously as possible. He also directed to resolve other issues of the department in order to ensure improved services by the department for the disabled and poor people of the province.

He assured that the government would arrange everything including the necessary funding but would never allow politics in institutions. His government wanted the public welfare department to be efficient managing its different institutions and discouraging un-required political bickering hindering the process of social services.