HYDERABAD, Aug 26: Sindh Minister for Local Bodies, Katchi Abadis and Spatial Development Mohammad Hussain Khan has appointed Mir Nasir Abbas, Special Secretary Local Government, as focal person to reorganise the Sindh Civil Services and Local Government Academy, Tandojam.

He has also appointed a committee to be headed by Mir Nasir Abbas for the appointment of academic council preparing various courses for the district government officials and nazims and to extricate the academy from financial problems and submit a detailed report to him on these matters.

The director-General of the academy, Secretary Local Council Board and the heads of various sections of the local government departments will be the members of this committee.

These decisions were announced during his visit to the academy on Sunday. The Director-General of the academy, Mr.Abdul Ghani Bachani, gave a detailed briefing to the minister about the working of the academy.

Speaking on the occasion, the minister said that following the upgradation of the Tandojam Academy, the officials of Sindh who had to go to Peshawar Academy for training will now receive training in their own province.

Mr Khan pointed out that the Sindh government had to pay Rs1.8 million per annum to the Peshawar Academy which will now be given to the Sindh Civil Services and Local Government Academy Tandojam from the current year to strengthen the academy financially.

He said exhaustive training to the officers would improve their professional capabilities and they would be able to serve the people in a better way.

He said the district nazims will be asked to hold their programmes at the Tandojam academy instead of the private hotels and contribute Rs200,000 per annum to the academy from their annual funds.

He said, city government Karachi would be asked to earmark Rs500,000 per annum for the academy.

He said this contribution was not out of the way because the officials of all the districts are receiving training in this academy.

The director-general of the academy informed the minister that since 2001, 2013 officers had been imparted training in 124 different courses.