Lahore: Senior Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS) officer of Grade-20, Zaid Bin Maqsood, assumed charge as Secretary Local Government Punjab. He has previously served as Commissioner Lahore and also holds extensive administrative experience as Secretary Services. He has served on various key administrative positions during his career.
Soon after assuming office, Secretary Local Government Zaid Bin Maqsood received a detailed briefing on departmental affairs. Heads of various wings of the department briefed him on ongoing projects, administrative reforms and matters related to the local government system.
Special Secretary Administration Arshad Baig briefed the secretary on administrative affairs, while Special Secretary Development Shahid Zaman Lak apprised him of the progress on ongoing development schemes. Director General Local Government Baneesh Fatima briefed him on the existing system of vital events registration and reforms being introduced to improve local government services.
The meeting was informed that the Local Government Department was among the first five provincial departments to successfully migrate to the eFOAS system, while field offices were also being shifted to the digital platform in phases.
The briefing further highlighted that a modern solid waste management system had been introduced under the Punjab government’s ‘Suthra Punjab’ initiative. It was also informed that implementation of the Punjab Development Programme and Lahore Development Programme was progressing successfully. Important reforms have also been introduced to make the birth and death registration system more accessible and citizen-friendly.
Speaking on the occasion, Secretary Local Government Zaid Bin Maqsood said that the local government system was the most effective mechanism for providing basic civic facilities to citizens, and improving its capacity remained among the government’s key priorities.
He said that, in line with the directions of the Punjab Chief Minister, the quality of local government services would be further improved, while transparency, accountability and effective governance in local bodies would be strengthened to ensure timely and quality service delivery to the public.
He directed officials to ensure effective monitoring of all ongoing development projects under the Local Government Department so that the schemes could be completed within stipulated timelines and citizens could benefit from their outcomes.