The Bhutanese Leading the way.
The Prime Minister Lyonchhen Tshering Tobgay has directed the Government Performance Management Division (GPMD) to conduct the mid-year review of Annual Performance Agreement (APA) from January, next year.
The Prime Minister, has signed the APA for the fiscal year 2014-2015 with all 10 cabinet Ministers, 20 Dzongkhags and heads of six autonomous agencies.
The main objectives of conducting the review were to determine and monitor progress against agreed targets, to flag areas of concerns for timely corrective actions and to review targets to factor in change in priorities or unforeseen circumstances.
In the July to August, next year, the Ministries, Departments, and Dzongkhags will be evaluated against the targets set and given a composite score. The score will show the degree to which the agency was able to meet its targets.
Ministry of Finance
The ministry will be evaluated on enhancing macroeconomic coordination and management, fiscal deficit has to be maintained as a percent of GDP, non-hydro debt to GDP at maintained at 35% or below and ensure international reserve to cover 12 months of essential imports at all times.
The ministry has to ensure domestic revenue is enhanced, coverage of total expenditure through domestic revenue is increased, increased annual earnings from the Nation’s SOEs, improved efficiency in government’s spending and restarting of the Bhutan Lottery.
To improve efficiency in allocation of public resources, the ministry has to enhance capital budget utilization and minimize variance between approved budget and the actual expenditure.
To strengthen accountability, the MoF has to improve government procurement management system, and upgrade the government inventory system.
Ministry of Agriculture and Forests
The ministry would be evaluated on its ability to enhance food and nutrition security by increasing production in paddy, maize, vegetable, oil seed, milk, egg, chicken, pork and fish.
To generate employment and increase mean annual household cash income it has to increase employment generated through Farmers groups.
Apart from this, the other objectives are to accelerate RNR sector growth, enhance plant and animal genetic resources and manage the forest landscape and conserve biodiversity.
It also highlights the need to conserve and enhance sustainable utilization of biodiversity to have sustainable forests, land, and water.
Ministry of Education
The ministry to improve access and sustainability of education will needs to increase enrollment in primary, basic and tertiary education.
To improve quality of education, the ministry has to ensure primary completion rate at 100% of students who complete secondary education and improve teaching standards of Dzongkha, English, Maths and Sciences.
To strengthen youth development programmes and services, ministry has to strengthen guidance and counseling services in schools and promote mass participation of students in sports and physical activities.
Ministry of Economic Affairs
To enhance economic expansion the Ministry has to develop four industrial estates in Montanga, Jigmeling, Bongdema and Dhamdum increase number of investments in large and medium industries and develop a mini-dry-port.
To increase and diversity exports the Ministry has to increase value of exported goods annually. The ministry has to promote the development of cottage and small industries.
The ministry has to accelerate hydropower development, promote alternative renewable energy and construct projects in time. It also has to construct transmission lines, develop a mega solar power plant and develop a wind power plant.
To sustainably develop the mineral sector, the Ministry needs to finalize the Mineral Development Policy and explore mineral deposits.
Ministry of Health
To strengthen diagnostic and curative healthcare services the Ministry has to improve the pool and deployment of health staff and ensure at least 95% availability of essential drugs in all health facilities.
In line with expanding health infrastructure, the ministry has to make progress in the construction of hospitals in Dzongkhags and Public Health Laboratory.
The aim is also introduce specialized procedures to reduce referral cases. JDWNRH has been provided autonomy to improve OPD waiting time and strengthen Health Information and Management System.
The ministry also has to establish comprehensive inventory and baseline data for rural water supply in all 205 gewogs, expand WHO package of essential Non Communicable Diseases intervention and reduce alcohol liver diseases incidence.
To strengthen traditional medicinal services in a sustainable manner, it has to expand the reach of traditional medicine services and strengthen production capacity in traditional medicines.
Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs
To preserve and promote cultural heritage, there should be renovation and maintenance of structural heritage, build new heritage structures.
The Home Ministry must enhance resilience, preparedness, and responsiveness to disaster as well as enhancing the security and safety of society by reduce crime.
With the aim to enhance efficiency and effectiveness of public service delivery, the Ministry has to implement community policing and enhance fire services and reduce time for public services like immigration, civil registration and census.
Ministry of Information and Communication
The Ministry will be evaluated on increasing passengers using the domestic sector, meeting international air safety standards and reducing annual road accidents.
The ministry will introduce additional passenger transport routes, urban public transport services with facilities for senior citizens, women, children and those with special needs. The ministry will also conduct feasibility studies on alternative modes of transport.
The ministry will improve reliability of national fiber optic network, deploy reliable and secure email system, and increase access to media and information.
Ministry of Labour and Human Resources
To achieve full employment the Labor Ministry’s efforts will be to facilitate employment for youth and ensure jobs for university graduates in a timely manner and facilitate employment of people with chronic unemployment.
The Ministry will make employment in private sector more attractive, and provide better social protection for private sector employees.
To improve quality and relevance of vocational courses, the ministry will make the courses more relevant to the needs of labor market.
Ministry of Work and Human Settlement
The Ministry’s mandate is to develop the national road network, develop and promote engineering promoting traditional architecture and reduce disaster related risks.
The ministry will work to ensure access to adequate potable water supply and sanitation facilities in all Thromdes, Dzongkhags and Throms.
The ministry will develop regional hubs for balanced development regionally balanced development would be promoted.
Likewise, all 20 Dzongkhags and six autonomous bodies posses a concrete objectives list to fulfill which will be evaluated and rated by the end of the agreement.
In the Annual Performance Agreement, the Government also had assigned 15% of total score as mandatory objectives for all agencies for three common cross-cutting high priority objectives (Implementation of anti-corruption measures, implementation of measures to improve Bhutan’s ranking in Ease of Doing Business, and efficient and effective public service delivery) apart from the agencies main targets.
