ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday assigned targets to various ministries to improve governance and prioritize projects, especially rationalizing the power sector and subsidies, encouraging wealth creation, and enhancing exports.
While speaking at the signing ceremony of agreements in Islamabad between the prime minister and federal ministries to evaluate the performance of various departments and sectors in achieving targets, the prime minister said prioritized projects would vigorously be followed and evaluated to ensure performance.
The prime minister said now it was time to perform and every ministry had to achieve its targets.
Terming the power sector as the biggest challenge to provide affordable electricity to consumers, he said the government was providing subsidies of billions of rupees but it was being used both by the poor and the rich.
The prime minister said there was is a need to rationalize the provision of subsidies to the targeted populace and deserving people as well as for the development of backward areas.
Imran Khan also stressed the need to enhance exports and control inflation in the Country. He said the growing bill of pensions was also one of the biggest challenges the Country had been facing. He directed to formulate a comprehensive plan to meet that challenge.
In addition, he said concentration would be further made on the agriculture sector to increase productivity and job opportunities for the youth. He said the government was seeking China’s cooperation in the agriculture sector under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Talking about problems emerged after the transfer of powers and the shifting of various subjects to provinces under the 18th Constitutional amendment, Imran Khan said they needed to review the system for better performance.
The prime minister questioned what the federal government could do if a province hadn’t released wheat well in time, creating a difference in the prices of the commodity. He said in such situation blame was shifted to the center.
Similarly, the Ministry of Environment had been devolved to provinces and the center couldn’t formulate a uniform policy. He said that subject should have also been kept with the federal government. He said they would have to work on all those distortions.
