LAHORE, Jul 24 (APP):Punjab Finance Minister Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman has said that digitising the management system was enhancing service delivery.
Presiding over the 7th meeting of Steering Committee on Public Financial Management Reforms here on Wednesday, he added that reforms under the Punjab Resource Improvement and Digital Effectiveness Programme (PRIDE) have significantly increased budget utilisation and tax collections.
Upcoming pension reforms and e-procurement initiatives were expected to further improve financial management. He emphasized the need for tax departments to self-assess their performance and hire qualified consultants when necessary, based on their experience and technical expertise. He instructed the tax collection departments to identify their consultancy needs.
The meeting aimed to review the progress of the PRIDE program and approve the future course of action.
Secretary Finance Mujahid Sherdil, Additional Secretary Finance, head of the Public Finance Management Unit Ms Samia Mukhtar, members of the Punjab IT Board and officers from the line departments attended the meeting.
The head of the Public Finance Management Unit briefed about the complete digitization of all tax collection departments under the PRIDE program. Online apps were being introduced to improve public service delivery and facilitate easier access to government initiatives and services, the meeting was told.
