ISLAMABAD, March 30: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Friday termed civil servants a national asset and said the government was trying to modernize training programmes for them and improve the system of recruitment.

He was talking to General (retired) Shahid Hamid, Chairman Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) who called on him.

The Prime Minister said bringing improvement in the governance was an important part of the government’s reform agenda. The output of the government is directly dependent on the performance of civil servants and every effort should be made to recruit competent and qualified people, the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister said steps should also be taken to fill vacant posts in the government departments. He said the system of recruitment of civil servants needed to be streamlined with a view to reducing the time period for entire procedure.

The Prime Minister asked the FPSC chairman to ensure that people belonging to all parts of the country get adequate representation in the federal government departments.

He also asked the FPSC chairman to ensure recruitment of women in accordance with their increased quota in the federal government and appreciated the performance of the commission.—APP