The dashboard designed to track flood relief aid had shortcomings, according to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who pointed out that it lacked real-time information and was not up to par with international standards. He rebuked the dashboard and became visibly irritated after discovering them.
The prime minister refused to officially open the event, leaving federal ministers Ahsan Iqbal, Aminul Haque, Marriyum Aurangzeb, and Tariq Bashir Cheema red-faced. He then explained his main issue with the dashboard, which was created by the IT ministry, saying that it was not being updated in real-time.
“It is useless if real-time information is not included in this. If so, we are idly idling each other’s time. No, I’m not going to start this today “When told that the dashboard had not yet been updated to include the meteorological department’s data, he said.
He called it a “joke,” and advised that it be destroyed. “While I don’t discount your efforts, this is not the dashboard that we had all envisaged. You enter numbers into this fixed object.”
The prime minister made reference to another dashboard that keeps track of dengue hotspots and claimed it provided “active information” and was built on a “correct structure.”
Iqbal once made an attempt to appease the premier by claiming that the information on the portal could not be displayed in real time since it was dependent on data from the local disaster management organisations in each province.
Shehbaz interrupted the minister in the middle of his statement, saying, “But sir, you will find out who is supplying the information and who is not […] at most, this may be dubbed a static dashboard.”
Dashboards are still being developed, though. Iqbal tried to calm down the prime minister once more. They created a tool quickly, but more data will be uploaded as time goes on.
Shehbaz, however, was sure that the dashboard couldn’t adhere to international standards and failed to depict the immense harm caused by the floods.
“The country and I do not want this (the flood dashboard). It falls short in many respects and is inadequate for our needs “The prime minister said as he censured the offending authorities.
He added that a slow site would not accurately reflect the loss incurred as a result of the floods or the government’s efforts to lessen their effects. He also complained that the dashboard was not responsive enough.
In light of impending international conventions and moots, the prime minister stated that he desired the dashboard to meet a specific standard and be in keeping with contemporary standards.
Haque told the PM that every directive had been followed in this situation. “We’ll make an effort to improve this [the dashboard]. Please launch it today, and together, we can improve it “he stated.
During the formal briefing ceremony, the IT minister also ascended to the podium to speak.
Shehbaz then proposed that the initiative may be “provisionally” launched today but properly launched next Monday after taking his recommendations and complaints into account.
The authorities informed the prime minister that, within a week, they would fix the problems he had identified and turn the dashboard into a real-time platform.
Shehbaz instructed the two federal ministers to accept any assistance they required as long as they created a “world-class” dashboard. He added that any “makeshift” effort would be useless and that only a “world-class” dashboard would benefit the government in the long run.
At the event, officials provided the prime minister with updates and briefings on a variety of flood-related issues.
