ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin has directed chairperson Pay and Pension Commission (PPC) to prepare short-, medium- and long-term plans for reformation of pay and pension system in the public sector over a period of time after finance minister was apprised about challenges for harmonisation of pension.
Chairperson Pay and Pension Commission Nargis Sethi met with the finance minister, on Friday, and briefed the finance minister about the working of the Commission to streamline the existing pay and pension structure as per its mandate.
She outlined the working of sub-groups under the Commission which have been assigned different tasks to identify distortions in the existing system of disbursement of pay and pensions of the government officers in federal, provincial and other allied departments and organisations. Sethi also informed the finance minister about challenges in the way of harmonisation of pay and pension system across the country. She added that disparity in allowances, perks and other benefits as well as burgeoning expenditure of the pensions on national exchequer which is not sustainable in the long run. The finance minister said that there is no short-term solution to this problem but the end goal is to make the government employer of choice for the talented youth.
An official said that performance should be the yardstick for the benefit. The finance minister said that there is an increased need to work out ranges for linking compensation with performance. This will ensure meritocracy in recruitment and result in improved service delivery in the public sector. There is a pressing need to rationalise the existing workforce and adhere to a performance-driven compensation system for smooth transition to e-governance, said the finance minister. Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Dr Waqar Masood Khan and the secretary Finance Division were also present during the meeting.
Meanwhile, the federal minister also held a meeting with the Adviser to the Prime Minister on Establishment Muhammad Shahzad Arbab who being member of the prime minister’s reforms team made a detailed presentation on “Concept of Performance Agreement” signed with the ministries and division on their working. Arbab said that the performance agreement underlines key objectives, goals and benchmarks to be achieved by concerned ministries and divisions during the financial year.
The Performance Agreements for the fiscal year 2020-21 have been introduced to enable ministries to set key targets and measure performance against them effectively, the adviser added.
He further stated the government must be given due credit for introducing the concept of performance evaluation. The said system promotes sense of ownership among the ministers and secretaries to ensure smooth service delivery in their respective ministries/divisions/departments/organisations.
The finance minister has urged to apply the concept of performance agreements to all the ministries across the board.
He also stressed the importance of conducting quarterly reviews and requisite follow-ups to gauge performance on a regular basis.
This will help a ministry/division to evaluate its performance for meeting annual goals/benchmarks effectively.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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