“Zero tolerance for financial irregularities”: Public Accounts Committee vows to promote transparency & accountability at all level

“Zero tolerance for financial irregularities”: Public Accounts Committee vows to promote transparency & accountability at all levels

QUETTA: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has made it clear that it will promote transparency and accountability at all levels and ensure that public funds are used in accordance with the law and relevant rules and regulations.
There will be zero tolerance for financial irregularities in government institutions, and action will be taken against responsible officials without discrimination.
The PAC meeting was chaired by Chairman Asghar Ali Tareen and held with the Departments of Labour and Manpower and the Balochistan Revenue Authority, here on Monday.
PAC members Sardar Abdul Rehman Khetran, Zabid Ali Reki, Ghulam Dastgir Badini, Fazal Qadir Mandokhail, and Ubaid Gorgage attended the meeting, along with Accountant General Nasrullah Jan, Director General Audit Balochistan Shuja Ali, Secretary Labour Department Niaz Ahmed Nechari, Chairman BRA, Noor-ul-Haq Baloch, Additional Secretary PAC Siraj Lehri, Additional Secretary Law Department Saeed Iqbal, Additional Secretary Finance Department Arif Achakzai, Assistant Chief Section P&D Amir Shah, and other officials. PAC members emphasized that financial irregularities would not be tolerated and strict action would be taken.
The meeting reviewed the appropriation accounts of the financial year 2021–22 and audit paras of the financial year 2022–23 in detail. The department’s core objectives include the implementation of labor laws, registration of industrial units and trade unions, inspection of factories and shops, provision of technical education, and research.
It was revealed in the meeting that out of the allocated Rs. 2,234.079 million for development and non-development expenditures, only Rs. 1,412.397 million was spent, resulting in a significant saving of Rs. 821.679 million. This reflects poor budget planning and inefficient utilization of funds by the department.
Serious concern was expressed over the B-TEVTA Quetta Director’s failure to utilize a grant of Rs. 522.146 million during the financial year 2019–20, and instead of depositing it into the government treasury, the amount was placed in a private bank savings account. As a result, the bank made an unauthorized deduction of Rs. 8.626 million as tax, which is a severe violation of financial regulations. This issue was reported to the department in February 2021, but no response has been received to date.
Even during the DAC (Departmental Accounts Committee) meeting, the department failed to provide a satisfactory explanation. The PAC instructed the department to deposit the unused funds into the government treasury, obtain a tax exemption certificate, and immediately recover the deducted amount from the bank.
Another audit para revealed that the Balochistan Employees Social Security Institute, Hub Circle, spent Rs. 27.689 million on the purchase of medicines during the financial year 2015–16 without establishing a formal procurement committee, issuing advertisements in newspapers, or publishing tenders on the PPRA website. Despite PAC having issued decisions on this matter twice before, the senior officials of the Labour and Manpower Department have failed to implement them, which is considered contempt of PAC and Parliament. The PAC has recommended immediate action by the Chief Secretary.
In the second session of the meeting, discussions were held with the Balochistan Revenue Authority (BRA). The Authority is responsible for collecting sales tax on services in Balochistan. The audit highlighted irregularities amounting to Rs. 231.564 million and pointed out recoveries worth Rs. 35.599 million. The PAC directed the Accountant General and the Chairman of the BRA to hold a follow-up meeting on this matter.