Regulatory Administrative Institutions MPA 517

1. Regulatory Administrative InstitutionsMPA 517 Lecture-14

2. Recap The Ministry of Information Technology (MoIT) is the national focal Ministry and enabling arm of the Government of Pakistan for planning, coordinating and directing efforts to initiate and launch Information Technology and Telecommunications programs and projects aimed at economic development of the country. • MoIT consists of one division; Information Technology and Telecommunications Division

3. PTA's Functions • To regulate the establishment, operation and maintenance of telecommunication systems and provision of telecommunication services in Pakistan. • To receive and expeditiously dispose of applications for the use of radio-frequency spectrum. • To promote and protect the interests of users of telecommunication services in Pakistan. • To promote the availability of a wide range of high quality, efficient, cost effective and competitive telecommunication services throughout Pakistan.

4. Responsibilities of Authority • In exercising its functions and powers under the Act, the authority shall ensure that? • Rights of licensees are duly protected;All of its decisions and determinations are made promptly, in an open equitable, non discriminatory, consistent and transparent manner; • All applications made to it are disposed of expeditiously; • The persons affected by its decisions or determination are given a due notice thereof and provided with an opportunity of being heard; • It encourages, except subject to the exclusive right of the company in basic telephone service, fair competition in the telecommunication sector; and • The interest of users of telecommunication services are duly safeguarded and protected.

5. Today’s Lecture • Ministry of Finance • Functions • Budget Preparation • Quality Assurance

6. Introduction • The Finance Division deals with the subjects pertaining to finance of the Federal Government and financial matters affecting the country as a whole, preparation of annual budget statements and supplementary/excess budget statements for the consideration of the parliament accounts and audits of the Federal Government Organization etc. as assigned under the Rules of Business, 1973.

7. Mission Statement • To pursue sound and equitable economic policies that put Pakistan on the path of sustained economic development and macroeconomic stability with a view to continuously and significantly improving the Quality of life of all citizens through prudent and transparent public financial management carried out by dedicated professional.

8. Functions • Prepare the annual fiscal budget and issue adequate regulations for its execution. • Manage government financial assets. • Propose bills related to the management of government employees, particularly bills related to staffing, salaries, benefits and pensions. • Amortize debt and coordinate financial activities carried out within the scope of its power, for the different ministries and their related entities. • Be aware of and report on any initiative of a financial nature involving public expenditure and indebtedness before it is debated by Assembly. • Participate in the negotiation of international free trade and financial agreements. • Exercise all powers and rights as granted on it in the State Banks Law.

9. MEDIUM-TERM BUDGETARY FRAMEWORK • The annual budget of the Federal Government is based on a medium term budgetary framework (MTBF). • The MTBF is an approach to budgeting that integrates policy-making, planning and budgeting within a medium-term framework. • The MTBF has provided the framework for budget preparation in all Ministries/Division and Departments of the Federal Government since 2009.

10. Objectives The MTBF has three main objectives: • To further strengthen fiscal discipline by creating and orderly framework for management of the annual budget over the medium term; • To strengthen the alignment of federal resources by the government to the government’s policies and strategies; • To build the capacity in federal ministries to prepare and manage their budgets in a manner which provides cost-effective service delivery (outputs) and efficient use of public funds (value for money).

11. MTBF components • A strategic (‘top-down’) component which sets the overall framework for the budget and leads to the setting of medium term ceilings for each line ministry at the start of the annual budget preparation process. • A line ministry (‘bottom-up’) component which reforms the budget preparation process within line ministries and helps build the capacity for line ministries to prepare and manage their budgets in a strategic way.

12. Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper • The Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) Secretariat housed in the Ministry of Finance was established in 2000 to prepare a holistic anti-poverty strategy for Pakistan. • It provides secretarial support to the National PRSP Implementation Committee. • The Committee, headed by the Secretary Finance, comprises secretaries of Federal and Provincial PRSP partner government agencies to oversee the implementation of Pakistan’s PRSPs

13. The policies outlined in PRSP have been linked with the achievement of key social and human development goals. • However, depending upon the variable being monitored, there is an implementation lag between expenditures incurred and outcomes achieved which makes it difficult to assess policy performance immediately • e.g. even though public expenditures on primary schools may be increased, higher primary Gross Enrollment Rates (GER) will only show up after a time lag, and it may take several years before that results in higher adult literacy rates. • However, there are some key intermediate social indicators that may depict the effect of policy interventions over a relatively shorter period of time. • The government regularly reports information on such human development intermediate indicators to provide a valuable guide for evaluating the efficiency of public policies and public funds

14. Poverty Reduction Strategies • Poverty Reduction Strategies (PRSs) are country-owned and participatory, taking into account the views of Parliament, line ministries, development partners, civil society and specifically the poor themselves. • The PRSPs are comprehensive and recognize the multidimensional nature of the causes of poverty. • They highlight strategies to alleviate poverty and acknowledge the need for a coherent macroeconomic framework to support them. • The PRSPs also base themselves on both medium and long term perspectives, including appropriate monitoring indicators against which progress could be measured. 

15. Quality Assurance Program • Quality Assurance Program has been launched in the Finance Division (GOP) from January 2006 to effectively control and improve its operational Quality, Performance and customer satisfaction. • The prime focus of this program is to increase its customer satisfaction level, raise its service Quality, Improve internal working efficiency and give the ministry a strong local and global credibility.

16. Quality Policy • To provide the most effective and efficient services to the federal government, provincial governments and the citizen of Pakistan. Objectives • To enhance the performance level of the ministry of finance and its associated offices by adopting and implementing internationally recognized Quality Management system (QMS)/model of ISO-9001-2000 Leadership style • The leadership style in Finance Division is collaborative, cooperative and team work.

17. Quality Approaches The following basic approaches apply; • Quality is every employee’s commitment to excellence in his /her scope of work. • Quality will be converted into, measured by, and then controlled through the quality objectives. • Quality Assurance is a decentralized function and its leadership lies with the respective additional Finance Secretaries. • Quality is not just a process of problem detection during or after work, but more of a problem solving as well as continuous improvement processes of the entire Ministry.

18. Summary • Ministry of Finance • Functions • Budget Preparation • Quality Assurance

19. Next Lecture • Federal Board of Revenue • Federal Tax Ombudsman Pakistan