Green Tractor Scheme: Rs2.8 billion irregularities in Punjab agriculture dept
The director of the Human Rights Cell of the Supreme Court has also taken notice.
LAHORE:
Federal auditors detected financial irregularities amounting to Rs2.8 billion in the Punjab Agriculture Department accounts for fiscal year 2008-2009, especially the Green Tractor Scheme, said an inter-departmental circular sent to the divisional Commissioners.
The director of the Human Rights Cell of the Supreme Court has also taken a strict notice and sought a report from officials concerned in this regard.
The matter was also put before the departmental account committee, which called for setting up an inquiry committee.
The inquiry committee’s report also confirmed irregularities in the tractor scheme and recommended immediate disciplinary action against all officials concerned.
Auditors pointed out 35 instances in eight categories, including irregularities in the tractor scheme, overpayment, irregular award of work, financial indiscipline, bypassing of set criteria, excess payments and non-observance of set rules and procedures in development and non-development expenditures.
Irregularities identified in the Green Tractor Scheme include bogus allotments, non-observance of requisite procedure and miscellaneous irregularities. Observations in audit report point out weak internal checks and irregular payments of Rs169 million.
The budget allocation for the Agriculture Department for 2008-09 was Rs7.751 billion and it spent Rs3.335 billion, being the audited expenditure, which amounts to less than 50 per cent of the total allocation.
The audit raised questions on expenses of Rs2,802.347 million (84 per cent of the audited expenditure) and observed that budgetary expenses were only Rs69.575 million and leftover from the previous years was Rs17.289 million.
As much as Rs19.77 million was said to have been embezzled in Rs112 million scheme for providing harvesting machinery to boost farm productivity.
Another scheme, on which Rs102 million was spent for rewarding farmers for good wheat harvest performance, was replete with irregularities and violations of criteria and procedures.
The Punjab Agriculture Research Board was paid Rs54.47 million on account of establishment charges, operational expenses and contingent payments, but its officials did not perform any activity except drawing salary and perks and privileges.
The scrutiny of the land record of the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, revealed that 127 acres of land worth Rs44.45 million was illegally occupied for the past several years.
The Director-General, Agriculture (Field), purchased spare parts worth Rs39. 24 million “without immediate requirement”.
The Punjab chief minister’s programme for provision of free wheat seed to farmers in flood-hit areas of Rajanpur district cost Rs22 million. The programme was mishandled as distribution was made without documentation.
The report also detected other irregularities of Rs235 million in other categories.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 14th, 2011.
Federal auditors detected financial irregularities amounting to Rs2.8 billion in the Punjab Agriculture Department accounts for fiscal year 2008-2009, especially the Green Tractor Scheme, said an inter-departmental circular sent to the divisional Commissioners.
The director of the Human Rights Cell of the Supreme Court has also taken a strict notice and sought a report from officials concerned in this regard.
The matter was also put before the departmental account committee, which called for setting up an inquiry committee.
The inquiry committee’s report also confirmed irregularities in the tractor scheme and recommended immediate disciplinary action against all officials concerned.
Auditors pointed out 35 instances in eight categories, including irregularities in the tractor scheme, overpayment, irregular award of work, financial indiscipline, bypassing of set criteria, excess payments and non-observance of set rules and procedures in development and non-development expenditures.
Irregularities identified in the Green Tractor Scheme include bogus allotments, non-observance of requisite procedure and miscellaneous irregularities. Observations in audit report point out weak internal checks and irregular payments of Rs169 million.
The budget allocation for the Agriculture Department for 2008-09 was Rs7.751 billion and it spent Rs3.335 billion, being the audited expenditure, which amounts to less than 50 per cent of the total allocation.
The audit raised questions on expenses of Rs2,802.347 million (84 per cent of the audited expenditure) and observed that budgetary expenses were only Rs69.575 million and leftover from the previous years was Rs17.289 million.
As much as Rs19.77 million was said to have been embezzled in Rs112 million scheme for providing harvesting machinery to boost farm productivity.
Another scheme, on which Rs102 million was spent for rewarding farmers for good wheat harvest performance, was replete with irregularities and violations of criteria and procedures.
The Punjab Agriculture Research Board was paid Rs54.47 million on account of establishment charges, operational expenses and contingent payments, but its officials did not perform any activity except drawing salary and perks and privileges.
The scrutiny of the land record of the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, revealed that 127 acres of land worth Rs44.45 million was illegally occupied for the past several years.
The Director-General, Agriculture (Field), purchased spare parts worth Rs39. 24 million “without immediate requirement”.
The Punjab chief minister’s programme for provision of free wheat seed to farmers in flood-hit areas of Rajanpur district cost Rs22 million. The programme was mishandled as distribution was made without documentation.
The report also detected other irregularities of Rs235 million in other categories.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 14th, 2011.