Inter-ministerial cooperation through service delivery matrices, policy briefs and trackers will make government planning, budget formulation, service monitoring and decision-making easier, said BNP National Standing Committee member and Adviser to the Prime Minister on Public Administration (Minister Rank) Md. Ismail Jabiullah.

He made the remarks on Monday at an “Inter-Ministerial Validation Workshop on Public Service Delivery Policy Briefs and Matrix” organised by the Ministry of Public Administration at the conference room of the BCS Administration Academy in Shahbagh, Dhaka.

The Public Administration Adviser said the government needs to identify what services it provides to citizens, who the services are intended for, which institutions provide them, the cost of delivery, the expected outcomes and the challenges faced in delivering those services, as well as find ways to overcome them.

“To achieve this goal, services provided by different ministries and divisions need to be identified and aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the government’s election manifesto,” he said.

He said the beneficiaries of each service, the concerned ministry, departments and directorates, required budget and potential obstacles to service delivery should then be incorporated into a service delivery matrix.

Addressing public administration officials, the adviser said a service should not be viewed solely as the responsibility of a single ministry. Instead, policy, beneficiaries, responsible agencies, budget, outcomes and citizens’ feedback should be brought under an integrated framework.

Such an approach, he said, would make it possible to prepare a national list of services, reduce duplication of similar services and strengthen inter-ministerial coordination. It would also establish a link between services, desired outcomes and budget allocations.

“As a result, officials will be able to clearly understand the relationship between their work and measurable outcomes, which will improve the efficiency of public administration and enhance the quality of citizen services,” he said.

The adviser further said that if problems arise in service delivery, the grievance redress mechanism must be made more effective. A tracker should also be maintained to monitor decisions and the progress of activities, clearly indicating the problem, responsible institution, required actions, deadlines and progress.

He said the main objective of the workshop was to connect policies with services, services with beneficiaries, beneficiaries with responsible institutions, and institutions with budgets. At the same time, the performance of officials must be linked to measurable outcomes.

“This will enable the government to make more effective use of the talent and capabilities of the civil service and improve the quality of citizen services,” he said.

In his welcome speech, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Public Administration Mohammad Monirul Islam said the ministry is responsible for overseeing various government services.

He said that by establishing a link between the government’s election manifesto and the SDG targets and developing a matrix, services provided by all departments and agencies could be brought together and monitored through a unified system.

As a special guest, Rector (Secretary) of the BCS Administration Academy Dr. Mohammad Altaf-Ul-Alam said services such as the Family Card, Farmer Card, Health Card, and monthly honorariums for imams, muezzins, khadims and service workers of various religious institutions would be incorporated into the same matrix.

“A tracker will be introduced to monitor the progress of these services,” he said.

Presiding over the workshop, Secretary of the Ministry of Public Administration Md. Kamruzzaman Chowdhury said delivering various government services to people’s doorsteps is a commitment of the current government.

He urged all officials present to work with dedication to serve the people.

Officials from various ministries and divisions, along with faculty members of the BCS Administration Academy, attended the workshop.