LAHORE: Punjab caretaker Chief Minister Dr Hasan Askari Rizvi on Friday said that civil servants played a fundamental role in improving the governance standards, solving the problems of the people and running the affairs of the government.
Delivering his keynote address to the administrative secretaries at the Punjab Secretariat, he directed the officials to perform their responsibilities in a professional manner and said that civil servants were also responsible to take independent and impartial decisions.
He said that public opinion would be the best judge of the performance of caretaker government and added that caretaker setup was desirous of setting such unique traditions while remaining limited to its scope of work which would be worth-following for the upcoming elected government.
He also said that fulfilling of this responsibility in the most impartial and professional manner would bring laurels for the bureaucracy and they had to fulfill the responsibilities of the elections in a transparent and neutral manner.
“Bureaucracy has to work neutrally and in a professional manner and has to prove that bureaucrats are not subservient to any individual but are loyal to the state. I am hopeful that this duty will be fulfilled by you in an efficient manner and you will prove that you are not inclined towards any political party. I trust you and you should have full confidence in me. I am quite optimistic that you will come up to the expectations of the caretaker setup,” he said.
The chief minister said that he was convinced of decentralisation of powers at the grassroots and the provincial ministers were completely empowered.
“The ministers and their departments are independent in decision-making,” he said, adding that authority also increased the scope of responsibilities and everyone had to work under certain rules and regulations within the legal framework.
“All the matters should be disposed of immediately and in accordance with the needs and requirements of justice because immediate redressal of public complaints is necessary to relieve the masses of their ordeals. Therefore, line departments should proactively work to dispose of public complaints,” he said.
Chief secretary, additional chief secretary, P&D chairman and administrative secretaries attended the meeting.
