The government is working to clearly define key performance indicators for monitoring and evaluation of development projects in each sector. Addressing a conference organised by the Centre for Economic Research in Pakistan (CERP), Minister for Planning Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal said that the government initiated the schemes under its Public Sector Development Program to achieve sustainable socio-economic prosperity in the country. He said that the absence of those key indicators would not only hinder monitoring and evaluation of such projects but also lead to failure in achieving the set objectives.

The conference was meant to improve decision-making through rigorous quantitative research and devise reforms based on data. Other objectives of the event were to deploy cutting-edge pedagogy tailored for Pakistan, provide data insights to the private sector on the product and process design, and improve decision-making through evidence-based research, survey, executive education and advisory services. The minister said that the monitoring and evaluation system also helped to observe the outcomes of a project and achieved results against the set targets besides addressing all the bottlenecks on time by establishing an early warning system and avoiding any further loss.

He said that the monitoring and evaluation department was of vital importance in any organisation for making its investment more productive and efficient to achieve the set goals. He hoped that the feedback would be included in the project formulation. Ahsan Iqbal said that it was also expected that through its monitoring and evaluation system, the CERP would ensure that all the funds allocated for different social sector projects under PSDP were spent to achieve the objectives for which the resources were allocated. He also hoped that CERP would share its expertise of monitoring and evaluation with the development sector of the country to maintain transparency in social sector development projects and maximise the value of the investment in those schemes.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk