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Presentation on the Presentation on the

National Commission for National Commission for

Government ReformsGovernment Reforms

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To the Caretaker To the Caretaker Prime Minister of PakistanPrime Minister of Pakistan

by by Dr. Ishrat HusainDr. Ishrat Husain

December, 2007December, 2007

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Objective of Reforms

Scope of Reforms

Methodology

Progress

CONTENTSCONTENTS

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OBJECTIVEOBJECTIVE

The objective of the National Commission on

Government Reforms (NCGR) is to recommend

the appropriate size, structure, division of work and responsibilities within and across the various tiers of the government and within each functional unit i.e. the ministry or department,

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the processes, procedures and rules of

business through which the government

operates.

the cadre, composition and policies

pertaining to human resource deployment

and development including a proposal for

the evaluation of the future Civil Service

Structure.

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SCOPE OF REFORMSSCOPE OF REFORMS

Government reform has to be comprehensive,

concurrent and coordinated as partial, isolated

and ad-hoc efforts will not produce the synergy

required to achieve the desired results. The scope

of work of the Commission has been:

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Federal, Provincial and Local Governments.

Organization of the three tiers of government and horizontal relationships within and across these tiers.

Internal structure of each Ministry and department and the hierarchical relationships governing the structure, composition, cadre and HR policies.

Size and composition of the Civil Services, at all levels of government.

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Business processes including rules of business, financial, administrative, establishment rules and regulations, and flow of work.

Replacement of manual by automated processes, thus ensuring greater transparency.

Identification of certain areas requiring immediate reforms like Health, Education, Police & Land Revenue Management.

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CIVIL SERVICE REFORMCIVIL SERVICE REFORM

The reforms of the Civil Services are aimed at making the Federation strong and promote national integration leading to improved service delivery and cover the whole value chain from:

Recruitment and InductionPost-Induction TrainingCareer Path Planning and ProgressionPerformance ManagementTraining and DevelopmentCompensation and BenefitsDiscipline and Code of EthicsSeveranceRetirement and Benefits

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STRUCTURE OF THE GOVERNMENT

The aim of the restructuring of the Government is to reduce the transaction cost, promote a culture of decision making and problem solving with fully defined accountability for results.

Progress:

i. The Commission has completed the review and made recommendations on the existing structure and organization of the Federal Government.

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ii. The proposals on the re-organization of the Provincial and Local Governments and their intra and inter-relationships are being prepared by the Provincial Governments.

iii. The internal structure of each ministry, including the continued justification of the attached departments, autonomous bodies has been examined and proposals for mergers etc. have been made. The new structure proposes that policy making, monitoring and evaluation, oversight functions are located in the ministry while the operational and regulatory functions of the Government are delegated to the executive departments, autonomous bodies and regulatory agencies with clear delineation of responsibilities and accountabilities.

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BUSINESS PROCESS REENGINEERING (BPR)

The BPR review will use modern technology to

facilitate the ordinary citizens in accessing

government departments and agencies for

obtaining relief from their problems or grievances

in ways that are transparent, judicious and not

time consuming.

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This will involve:

a. Review and simplification of existing rules

and regulations, their availability on the web

pages and their interpretations and

applications to be in the public knowledge.

Progress: Establishment rules and

regulations have been consolidated and brought

together under an updated Establishment

Manual.

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b. Delegation of adequate powers to the staff

who come in contact with the ordinary

citizens with their full monitoring and

accountability.

Progress: The Ministry of Finance has

introduced a new system of financial controls

under which Chief Finance and Accounts

Officers will be appointed to assist the

Secretaries of the Divisions in financial

management.

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c. Increased use of technology to ensure

that a lot of forms, returns, reports required

by the Govt. can be filled in and submitted

electronically.

Progress: E-Government Directorate has

prepared a plan of introducing E-office suite for

each Ministry which needs the approval of the

Cabinet.

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The Commission consists of a Chairman, seven

private sector members and three ex-officio

government members.

COMPOSITION

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METHODOLOGY

The supervision, oversight and guidance of the Commission resides in a Steering Committee (SC) co-chaired by the President of Pakistan and Prime Minister of Pakistan and consisting of the four Provincial Chief Ministers.

SC is responsible for approving the recommendations of the NCGR and monitoring their implementation.

The SC can refer the matters to the Federal or Provincial Cabinets for soliciting their views before it decides but a time limit will be given in each case.

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The Commission forms various sub-committees and co-opts other members from the existing and retired civil servants, private sector, academia etc.

The Commission has been holding open public hearings at different places in Pakistan and invites experts to testify and make suggestions. Members of general public are also encouraged to submit oral or written views and comments. Consultations with stakeholders and consensus building is the recurring theme of the Commission’s work throughout the process.

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The Commission submits its findings and recommendations to the SC for its consideration and approval. The decisions taken by the SC are final and cannot be re-opened by any other executive body except those under the purview of the legislature or acted upon by the judiciary.

The Commission has access to all published and unpublished reports, studies, analyses, memoranda, diagnosis, Cabinet and its sub-committee summaries on the issues pertaining to the reform of the government.

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These studies and reports are received by the Commission in the first instance to formulate its views on the practical, pragmatic and implementable recommendations made in these reports.

This allows the Commission to tap on the vast reservoir of the work that has already been carried out and avoid repetition, duplication and save time.

Action required: The Provincial Governments were requested to pass resolutions by their assemblies authorizing the Federal Government to issue a legal instrument whereby the NCGR is established. The previous Chief Ministers had agreed to this proposal but no action was taken. The decisions of the SC will lack enforcement unless legal cover is provided to NCGR.

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Total Numbers of NCGR Meetings held = 11

VENUEIslamabad =5Lahore =1Karachi =2Peshawar =2Quetta =1

PROGRESS

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Date Venue

5th Sep, 2006 Aiwan-e-Sadr, Islamabad

4th Aug, 2007 Camp Office, Rawalpindi

Steering Committee MeetingsSteering Committee Meetings

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Open, Transparent, Equality and Merit Open, Transparent, Equality and Merit Based Based RecruitmentRecruitment

Training Strategy for Civil Servants Training Strategy for Civil Servants

Governance Reforms in Education Governance Reforms in Education Sector Sector

Strengthening of Key Institutions of Strengthening of Key Institutions of Governance” (selection process of Governance” (selection process of Chief Executives in Public SectorChief Executives in Public Sector).).

Recommendations approved by SC and in the

implementation stage

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Empowerment of Secretaries

Security of Tenure

Re-organization of Structure of Federal Government

Streamlining Rules and procedures

Restructuring the Civil Service

i) Civil Service of Pakistan

ii) Creation of N.E.S

iii) Creation of District Service

Health Sector Reforms

Police Reforms

Proposals approved by NCGR but yet to be placed

before SC for decision

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PROPOSALS UNDER PROCESS

Re-organization of Provincial Governments.Re-organization of Provincial Governments.

Re-organization of District Governments. Re-organization of District Governments.

Performance Appraisal. Performance Appraisal.

Promotion & Career Progression. Promotion & Career Progression.

Compensation & Benefits.Compensation & Benefits.

Conduct, Discipline, Severance and Conduct, Discipline, Severance and

SeparationSeparation..

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Introducing E-GovernmentIntroducing E-Government

Esta-CodeEsta-Code

Financial RulesFinancial Rules

Delegation of PowersDelegation of Powers

Service Standards & Timelines for Citizen requestsService Standards & Timelines for Citizen requests

Land RevenueLand Revenue

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REFORMS OF SELECTED KEY INSTITUTIONS – UNDER PROCESS

Federal Board of Revenue

Pakistan Agriculture Research Council

Scientific Research and Development Org.

Supreme Audit Institution

Civil Aviation Authority

National Highway Authority

Ministry of Health

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