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| | GEO Pakistan | | Pakistan wants peace with neighboring countries: PM | Updated at: 1538 PST, Saturday, July 25, 2009
 LAHORE: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani said the government is fully committed to address the multifaceted challenges currently being faced by the country.
Addressing the participants of the 90th National Management Course here Saturday he said we want a democratic, prosperous and progressive country and peace with itself and with its neighbours.
He said the present challenge is to achieve sustained high trajectory of economic growth, with clear objective to reduce poverty significantly and to meet the targets set-out in Millennium Development Goals.
He said the economic difficulties have been largely contained and we have been able to stabilize the economy with economic indicators suggesting upward trend.
The Prime Minister said a democratically elected government had inherited complex macroeconomic situation evolved at the back of difficult domestic and external environment.
He said the government in its first year of existence had to face difficult task of dealing with internal political instability, restoring the judiciary and strengthening the foreign exchange reserves, which has been successfully handled.
He said growth deceleration, power situation, fiscal deficit, trade
and current deficits are some of the major challenges confronting the economy.
He said achieving higher economic-growth in a stable macroeconomic environment will be the top most priority of the government going forward.
This will require continuous reforms in various sectors of the economy with private sector playing a pivotal role in driving growth and creating job opportunities.
Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani said the current economic situation also demands that the burden on the poor be minimized. The government has set-up Benazir Income Support Fund to target the vulnerable segments of society with a view to providing relief to them.
However, we still have to travel a long distance. And I would need all the support possible from you in finding a solution to our multi-dimensional problems.
He said the key role of the Civil Service is to give policy inputs and to implement Government initiatives. He said efficacy of the government agenda is linked to the quality of governance. He said if good governance is lacking, the system becomes dysfunctional and service delivery is unattainable.
The Prime Minister asked the civil servants to implement the agenda of the government in letter and spirit so that the people could get the fruits of the policies of the government. He said the Civil Servant's performance in each area is a reflection of the Government performance.
The Prime Minister said the government is committed to improve the capacity of the civil servants to become responsive in delivering basic public services to the common citizens in an efficient, effective and equitable manner.
He said the government also intends to attract, retain, motivate and develop high quality civil servants to improve the functioning of all the tiers of the government.
He said in order to address these serious issues Government has setup a Pay and Pension Commission with prominent members from Government and Private Sectors.
He said the perception that bureaucracy is an obstruction for the citizens seeking public services needs to be changed. The role of the civil service should be of an Enabler or a Facilitator and not just a Regulator.
The purpose is not to control people's lives or dictate their conduct, except where required for greater good, but to help the people to help themselves, to empower them. |  |
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