ISLAMABAD: Dr Sania Nishtar, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation, reviewed on Friday, the progress on the Ehsaas Governance and Integrity Policy and Observatory, a policy that aims to "discourage corruption and ensure rule-based control on the use of public resources and to promote efficiency, transparency, and accountability of results."
In this context, she presided over a meeting to examine progress on Ehsaas Governance and Integrity Policy and Observatory that was officially approved by the federal cabinet and came into effect in November 2019.
The policy is binding on the Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division (PASSD) and its executing agencies, the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), the Pakistan Baitul Mal (PBM), the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF), and Trust for Voluntary Organisations (TVO).
With an aim to discourage corruption and ensure rule-based control on the use of public resources and to promote efficiency, transparency, and accountability of results, Ehsaas has institutionalised this Governance Policy and Observatory as one of its 135 programmes and policy initiatives, a press release issued after the meeting said.
"Work on the Ehsaas Governance Observatory has been ongoing for the last one year. The Ehsaas Governance Observatory is meant to gauge the status of compliance with the policy. We accord high priority to integrity in governance and delivery," it quoted Nishtar as having said during the meeting.
The policy is meant to address institutionalised corruption and collusion in social welfare organisations, the press release added.
"It outlines how board should function, which policies are crucial, and the importance of whistle blowing and conflict of interest. It also sets the institutional framework to promote integrity through risk management and assurance, maintenance of risk registers, appointment of accountability officers; error, fraud and corruption frameworks, IT (information technology) security departments, strengthening of financial management and fiduciary systems, procurement systems, access to information, electronic filing, and development of work plans, and creation of credible data sets. In addition, the policy is aimed at eliminating discretionary powers," it said.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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