Abdul Hafeez Shaikh

ISLAMABAD: Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh chaired a meeting here at the Finance Division on Monday to review a proposal regarding an improvement in the project management.

Advisers to the PM on Institutional Reforms and Austerity and Petroleum Dr Ishrat Hussain and Nadeem Baber were present during the meeting.

Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Muhammad Jahanzeb Khan gave a detailed briefing over the process that would help in better project management with empowering the managers, moving from input control to output and outcome monitoring, reducing unnecessary steps in approval processes, and improving monitoring oversight and troubleshooting capability.

The deputy chairman briefed that the existing development process based on the Development Manual designed in 1987 and amended in 1997 was not sufficient to meet emerging needs i.e. climate change mitigation, risk management, public private partnership etc.

Keeping in view the current requirements, a framework to improve the development process/project management had been prepared by the Planning Commission and the Development Manual would be updated based on these recommendations, the meeting was told.

The main idea behind the proposal was to improve efficiency and compress unnecessary controls in administrative matters.

Shaikh said his ministry had endorsed the proposal that had been prepared by the Planning Commission with the assistance of the Finance and Economic Affairs Divisions in collaboration with relevant stakeholders.

The proposal after the endorsement would be sent to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) for an approval and implementation, he added.