Exports will have to be increased to $150 billion by 2025: strategy being devised to improve working of government departments: Ahsan

Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Reform Ahsan Iqbal has said that the country's exports will have to be increased from the present $25 billion to $150 by 2025, if we want to achieve the goal of progress and prosperity in real term. He said this while talking to media persons after addressing a seminar on uplifting the public sector and civil services performance here on Saturday.
Ahsan maintained that serious efforts are being made to address economic and other challenges. He said strenuous efforts were underway to create conducive environment for attracting local and foreign investment. Answering a question about the Senate elections, Ahsan said that the government was trying to build consensus to bring a constitutional amendment for rooting out the menace of horse-trading. He added the government was in touch with all parliamentary parties and reservations of some parties on the constitutional amendment will be removed. He added that during the consultation with national political parties, two ways were suggested, ie, constitutional amendment to purge horse trading and the other was, unopposed Senate elections proportionate to strength parties. "We would have no objection, if any formula is devised in this regard," he said.
To another question, he said that steps were being taken to bring transparency at every level to ensure good governance in the country. He said that a strategy was being devised for improving working and efficiency of government departments. There will be a strong system of check and balance; the hardworking officials will be rewarded while negligent and corrupt officials would have to face accountability.
Earlier, addressing the workshop, Ahsan has sought proposals from all segments of society for enhancing efficacy of government departments. He emphasised the need for improvement in performance of government departments and institutions in order to ensure sustained development. He added that reforms were like oxygen for those countries which want development.
The minister said: "We need a big shift to move forward as a dignified nation. To achieve this, modernisation of public sector organisations through civil services reforms is needed." No reforms can be succeeded without partnership of stakeholders, he said. He said the Vision 2025 focused on reoriented and repositioned human resource, deployment of new technologies and restructuring of institutions. The objective of our reform agenda is to restore the credibility of our institutions in performance delivery, he added. He said through Vision 2025 priorities will be given to human resource development.
Ahsan also stressed on transparency and accountability through citizen feedback. He said the government was going to introduce reforms in the structure of administration and system to governance. Punjab ministers Raja Ashfaque Sarwar, Malik Nadeem Kamran, senior officials, media persons and experts attended the moot during which views were discussed by experts and senior bureaucrats to improve governance.