KP Chief Minister Pervez Khattak while underlining the important role of Information & Public Relations department in the modern age of IT has asked for revamping and restructuring of the department in order to make it more effective according to the contemporary needs.
He directed for rehabilitation of Regional Information Offices with minimum essential staff and appointment of PROs for ministers in the first stage and then focusing on vitalisation of the department in phased manner as well as asked for prompt actions in this respect and submitting a comprehensive report with all recommendations through Chief Secretary.
This was decided in a meeting held here in order to review the overall role and performance of the provincial information and public relations department with Chief Minister in the chair that was attended by Provincial Minister for Information Mushtaq Ghani, Senior Minister for LG&RD Inayatullah, Advisor to CM Arif Yousaf advocate, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Muhammad Ishfaq Khan, Secretary Information Hazrat Masood Mian, Director Information Imdadullah, Press Secretary to Chief Minister Ghulam Hussain Ghazi and other concerned authorities.
The meeting reviewed in detail the overall performance and functions of the department with special reference to the emerging challenges, liaison with the print, electronic and social media, and a number of important decisions were taken to enable the department cope with it.
The Chief Minister said that the department has to perform the heavy responsibility of functioning as a bridge between the government and people using the effective tool of media, the problems faced by the people with the aim to resolve them, informing the masses of the public welfare oriented initiatives of the government and educating the people about their civic rights, laws and responsibilities adding that it was not possible unless the department did not work in conformity with the contemporary and rapidly changing scenario.
He said that there had emerged revolutionary changes in media during the last decades due to the developments in information technology and electronic media but unfortunately information department was still working on the old and outdated pattern; and hence it was the need of the hour to revamp the department to bring it in conformity with the new requirements of media and other contemporary needs.
"We do not want the information department just to work as mouth piece of the government and perform its traditional and stereotype functions of giving undue publicity to the government contrary to the ground realities", he said.
"Rather we want it to work as an full fledge institution with the function of projecting the government initiatives for development and public welfare activities, educating the masses, highlighting their issues and also to suggest remedies and giving awareness to them about their rights and how to benefit from the facilities provided by the government", maintained the Chief Minister and stressed that the department should take effective measures to give awareness to the masses about their civic rights, responsibilities and should make the best use of media for the purpose.
He stressed the need for streamlining the overall functions of the department and directed for developing close working relationship with focal persons in each department to look after the publicity and marketing matters of each and every department so that service delivery of the government departments is improved and the image of the provincial government is positively projected both at national and international levels.