| Imran Khan says new LG system would revolutionise localities | Asks people of Punjab, Sindh to report complaints against police or Assistant Commissioners seeking bribe | Directs authorities to work towards removing impediments in promotion of foreign investment | Uniform educational curriculum will bring oneness in nation
ISLAMABAD  - Prime Minister Imran Khan Friday lauded Pakistan Citizen Portal for registering more than three million people within two years and urged masses to use the forum for their empowerment as well as officers’ accountability.
“I want more people to use it (Citizen Portal). We will strengthen it further for it being the best method to register citizens’ complaints. As prime minister, it is also easy for me to know which minister or department is working well and which bureaucrat is performing bad,†he said addressing a ceremony marking the completion of two years of Citizen Portal.
Since its launching on October 28, 2018, around 3 million people registered themselves at the portal, and reported 2.7 million complaints, out of which 2.5 million were resolved. The event was attended by the federal ministers, bureaucrats, senior officers and media representatives.
The prime minister said the portal would also help the government know the issues in administration as well as the good and bad performing ministries and departments. He said it would also make it easier to enforce carrot and stick policy and decide the promotion, incentives and even removal of the bureaucrat from their services because the new civil service rules provided for termination of the corrupt or bad performing officers.
Appreciating the performance of Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit (PMDU) In-charge Adil Safi and his team, the prime minister said the portal would change the public mindset besides their empowerment.
He said since the beginning, the country could not do away with the elitist mindset, inherited from the British rulers. Exemplifying the highly empowered western people and service delivery of their governments, the prime minister said the Madinah State also gave the very concept of people’s empowerment and public service.
He said contrary to the colonial systems or monarchies, the democratic systems had given voice to the masses and made the governments answerable. The Citizen Portal is also a journey toward the very direction of making the people know their rights, he added.
Commenting on the statistical analysis, the prime minister observed that highest number of complaints related to municipal issues, showed that local govt system was not working properly. However, he said the new local government system would revolutionise the area, making the people directly elect their representatives who would also control the funds.
“This will be the best way to address their municipal issues,†he commented. The metropolitans like Lahore and Karachi would have their own governments and revenue generation besides independent systems for municipal services.
The prime minister also expressed pleasure over the overseas Pakistanis also benefiting from the forum, who also faced several issues back at home particularly the illegal occupation of their properties by land mafia. He also encouraged the people particularly in Punjab and Sindh to report the complaints against police officials or assistant commissioners seeking bribe, assuring that the government would make them accountable.
Removing hurdles in foreign investment
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday directed the authorities concerned to work towards removing impediments in promotion of foreign investment and industrialisation in the country.
Chairing a meeting on implementation of Mobile Device Manufacturing Policy, the Prime Minister said provision of necessary facilities to industrial sector would ensure its growth.
The meeting was attended by Minister for Industries and Production Hammad Azhar, PM’s Adviser on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood, Finance Adviser Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, Adviser on Institutional Reforms Dr Ishrat Hussain, PM’s Special Assistant Dr Waqar Masood, Chairman Board of Investment Atif Bukhari, Chairman Federal Board of Revenue Javed Ghani, Chairman Pakistan Telecommunication Authority Major (retd) Amir Azeem Bajwa and other senior officials.
The Prime Minister said his government had set the goals to increase industrial production in the country.
He said strengthening of industrial sector would boost the country’s revenue and provide better employment opportunities to the people.
A detailed briefing was given to the Prime Minister regarding the implementation of Mobile Device Manufacturing Policy by the Ministry of Industries and Production. The meeting was informed that Pakistan was a huge market in terms of mobile phones, with about 40 million mobile phones purchased annually.
The meeting was told that following the implementation of Device Identification, Registration and Blocking System (DIRBS) system, the smuggling of mobile phones had been controlled, resulting in increase of revenue from Rs 22 billion to Rs 54 billion.
 It was informed that with implementation of DIRBS system, several international companies had shown keen interest in local manufacturing of mobile phones in Pakistan.
Religious Minister apprises PM about restructuring of Ulema & Mashaikh Council
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan has directed the Ministry of Religious Affairs to remain in constant touch with the religious scholars and the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) on matters pertaining to COVID-19.
He was talking to Minister for Religious Affairs Pir Noor-ul-Haq Qadri who called on him in Islamabad on Friday. Â Â Â
The Prime Minister said the religious scholars should be kept informed about the latest coronavirus trends so that the message of compliance of SOPs continues to emanate from mosques.
It was also made clear on the occasion that the mosques will not be shut down but it is imperative to ensure compliance of SOPs.
Pir Noor-ul-Haq Qadri also apprised the Prime Minister about the restructuring of Ulema and Mashaikh Council.
Prime Minister Imran Khan Friday said that enforcement of uniform educational curriculum would bring oneness in the nation, eliminating the societal division created by the current education system.
Addressing the launching ceremony of Radio School and E-Taleem Portal, the prime minister said both the initiatives were remarkable particularly in view of the COVID-19 when the world was strategizing as how to continue education.
Minister for Federal Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mahmood and senior ministry officers attended the ceremony.
The FM transmission for Radio School will be accessible at FM-93 in Rawalpindi, Muzaffarabad, Gilgit, Skardu and Gwadar, at FM-94 in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi while at FM-101 in Faisalabad, Sialkot, Peshawar, Hyderabad, Quetta, Multan, Kohat, Mirpur, Khairpur, Bahawalpur, Tabbouleh and Narowal. The timings for class 1 to 5 will be 10:00 am to 12 pm and the repeat telecast would be from 02:00pm to 04:00pm.
The Teleschool accessible at the television is already benefiting around eight million children across the country since the first wave of the COVID-19 hit Pakistan.
Calling the uniform curriculum a “great success†the prime minister said since last 24 years, he had been committing it with the people. He said the existing system hindered uniformity of the nation rather de-Pakistanized the children as had happened in every society with colonial footprints.
Moreover, he said it would also create equal opportunities for all the students from government or private schools and even the seminaries which would also be mainstreamed.
The prime minister appreciated the education ministry for using modern tools to teach the children; though he said it would be difficult for the illiterate parents to benefit from the facility.
He strongly advocated the use of modern tools to train the teachers particularly in remote areas facing shortage of teachers of different subjects like science and mathematics.
He said the areas with low female literacy rate like Isakhel Tehsil of Mianwali could not produce teachers, nurses or doctors while people from other areas remain unwilling to serve in those remote areas.
 “This way, the people of such areas remain caught up in a vicious cycle. This is a great opportunity to reach out to those areas (using modern tools),†he remarked.
The prime minister also emphasized the promotion of skill training to youth for employment opportunities.
He said being a priority the incumbent government would extend all out resources for education sector in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. He particularly directed the federal education minister to develop Islamabad as model education city by utilizing all available tools and resources.
