The Second District Service Delivery Conference (DSDC) was held here on Wednesday with Chief Secretary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Shahab Ali Shah in the chair. The meeting was attended by the Senior Member Board of Revenue, Additional Chief Secretary, Planning & Development, Administrative Secretaries, Commissioners, and Deputy Commissioners.
Speaking at the conference, the Chief Secretary emphasised the importance of third-party monitoring, which is being carried out through the Education Monitoring Authority to ensure transparency and accountability.
He highlighted that close coordination between provincial departments and district administrations is essential for the timely resolution of public issues. The Chief Secretary directed Secretaries and Deputy Commissioners to hold weekly and monthly review meetings without fail, and to ensure strict staff attendance in underdeveloped districts. He warned that disciplinary action would be taken against absentee officials without discrimination.
The Chief Secretary further stated that his office will review service delivery measures every month, stressing that tangible progress on set targets must be ensured by December 2025.
He noted that improving services at the district level is the primary goal of the government, adding that effective service delivery builds public trust in institutions. He also underlined the critical role of Deputy Commissioners’ field visits in monitoring service delivery and directed them to enhance public engagement to gather feedback and improve responsiveness.
A comprehensive review was presented to the DSD Conference in seven key sectors, including Health, Agriculture, Veterinary, Tourism, Social Welfare, Local Government, and Basic Education. It was informed that, building upon the momentum of the first DSDC held in August, the scope of monitoring has been significantly broadened, and service delivery in 1,132 locations was monitored in 19 service areas against 264 indicators.
The review highlighted notable achievements in issue resolution, with 980 issues addressed across departments over the past month. Sectoral analysis revealed a mix of progress and challenges. Availability of medicines and infrastructure has shown marked improvement, although doctor presence continues to vary across regions. Farm Service Centres and Civil Veterinary Hospitals posted modest yet positive gains in meeting benchmarks, while Tourist Facilitation Desks require further strengthening to meet expected standards.
The DSD Conference was informed that Darul Amans recorded substantial progress, achieving 66 per cent compliance, whereas Zamung Kor institutions showed performance gaps that call for urgent redressal. The local government sector displayed mixed results, with encouraging improvements in public parks management but notable challenges in trunk sewer maintenance, ponding point management, and other facilities. Monitoring of schools across 23 districts indicated gaps in teacher attendance and infrastructure availability, highlighting the need for consistent oversight.
In conclusion, Deputy Commissioners have been directed to carry out at least 32 field visits per month to ensure ground-level progress. The DCs were also directed to publicly communicate improvements made in public service areas and obtain public feedback. In parallel, Administrative Secretaries will conduct monthly departmental reviews to address issues flagged at the district level and ensure alignment with service delivery benchmarks.
The forum reiterated its firm commitment to citizen-centric governance, transparency, and accountability. It emphasised that service delivery improvements must not only be measurable through monitoring systems but also tangible and visible to citizens across the province.
Monitoring across 23 districts reveals gaps in teacher attendance, infrastructure: Report
