PUTRAJAYA, Dec 16 — Beginning next year, the government will find ways to reduce additional costs for development projects, says Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Ali Hamsa.

He said brain-storming sessions with ministry secretaries-general, services and department heads would be held to optimise expenditure for next year for every government sector.

He said they were required to submit innovative ideas at the sessions to overcome weaknesses in the leakage of expenditure in the public sector and save 30 per cent of costs.

"We have projects which are late or have changed contractors. These involve high costs," he said in his speech at the 2015 Public Sector Innovation Award Ceremony (AISA) here today.

Ali said the culturising of innovation must be in line with the assimilation of the search and serve culture whereby, civil servants must go down to the ground more often and offer service to the people. — Bernama