TEHRAN - Vice President for Executive Affairs Ali Saeedlu said here on Friday that the second round of President Mahmud Ahmadinejad’s provincial trips will begin in a new form after winter.

“In the new plan, we will take stricter supervisory measures and will pay more attention to less privileged areas than before,” Saeedlu told the Mehr News Agency.

Ministers and provincial officials should play a more central role in implementing the decisions approved for each province, he added.

“During the second round, we are going to make up for the shortcomings of the first round of provincial trips,” he vowed. The provincial trips are carried out with clearly determined objectives aimed at addressing the problems of each province up close, he said, adding, “The new plans for the second round of trips will be announced in due time.”

“We will evaluate provincial officials’ performance and pace in carrying out their responsibilities,” he stated. Saeedlu said that the president has already visited 24 provinces and will visit the six remaining provinces by the end of winter.

“After that, the second round of trips will begin.”

“We are doing our utmost to maintain relations between the cabinet and provincial officials,” he said.

First Vice President Parviz Davudi has presented the cabinet reports on the performance of officials of South Khorasan, Ilam, and Sistan-Baluchestan provinces, he added.