Rs9 billion BISP funds lapsed, PAC panel told
Seeks details of expenses incurred on pilgrimages of religious affairs minister, officials
Dr Sania Nishtar. PHOTO: TWITTER
ISLAMABAD:
Audit officials on Thursday told a subcommittee of the Public Account (PAC) – the parliament’s accountability arm – that more than Rs9 billion allocated to be disbursed among poor households under the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) could not be spent.
The subcommittee, chaired by Pakistan Peoples Party’s Senator Sherry Rehman, later called a separate briefing on the BISP, a social safety net programme started by the PPP’s last government in 2008.
Expressing her amazement, Sherry said people in Pakistan are becoming poorer but the government could not find people to disburse allocated funds, which later lapsed.
The meeting was reviewing grants of the finance ministry for the year 2014-15. During the review, audit officials told the panel that Rs.9.19 billion lapsed from the BISP grant. ”Do you say that poverty is one the rise in the country but you are not getting people for assistance under the BISP?” she asked.
The convener directed officials to give a detailed briefing on the BISP in the next committee meeting.
The committee was informed that 27 million house holders were surveyed in 2010 and 5.4 million people were registered under the programme.
The audit officials informed the committee that the pensioners 'records were not kept properly. The subcommittee directed the Ministry of Finance to digitize record of the pensioners.
Sherry remarked that with digitisation of record, pensioners will be able to receive their pensions through ATM instead of waiting in long queues outside banks carrying pension books in their hands.
“Files of pensioners are getting dusty in Finance Ministry’s racks; therefore, digitalization will be even helpful for the ministry to the maintain pensioner’s record,” she added.
Details of Umrah and Hajj
Another subcommittee of the PAC summoned details of the expenses incurred on Umrah and Hajj performed by minister for religious affairs and officials on the ministry’s expense.
The committee also directed the audit officials to audit performance of Khuddam-ul-Hajjaj – officials responsible for facilitating pilgrims at annual pilgrimage in Makkah – and the ministry.
This sub-committee of the PAC was chaired by convener Noor Alam Khan to review the audit objections with regard to the Ministry of Religious Affairs for the year 2017-18. The committee expressed ire over the ministry’s secretary not holding the Departmental Accounting Committees (DAC) meetings.
Noor Alam Khan said: “You are busy traveling abroad. How is the ministry working? Details of foreign visits of federal minister and his staff should also be provided.”
The convener said the list of employees of the Ministry of Religious Affairs who have gone to Hajj and Umrah at government expense should be provided to the committee and if anyone has performed Hajj at government expenditure more than once or twice, then the money spent should be recovered.
The subcommittee also lashed out at Khuddam-ul-Hajjaj's poor performance.
“Khuddam-ul-Hajjaj only serve parliamentarians and bureaucracy while they do not pay any attention to the poor helpless pilgrims. I have never seen Khuddam-ul-Hajjaj anywhere except the dispensaries.
“Details of how many khuddam have been sent to Hajj during the last five years and expenditures incurred on them should be provided to the committee,” the convener said.
Audit officials on Thursday told a subcommittee of the Public Account (PAC) – the parliament’s accountability arm – that more than Rs9 billion allocated to be disbursed among poor households under the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) could not be spent.
The subcommittee, chaired by Pakistan Peoples Party’s Senator Sherry Rehman, later called a separate briefing on the BISP, a social safety net programme started by the PPP’s last government in 2008.
Expressing her amazement, Sherry said people in Pakistan are becoming poorer but the government could not find people to disburse allocated funds, which later lapsed.
The meeting was reviewing grants of the finance ministry for the year 2014-15. During the review, audit officials told the panel that Rs.9.19 billion lapsed from the BISP grant. ”Do you say that poverty is one the rise in the country but you are not getting people for assistance under the BISP?” she asked.
The convener directed officials to give a detailed briefing on the BISP in the next committee meeting.
The committee was informed that 27 million house holders were surveyed in 2010 and 5.4 million people were registered under the programme.
The audit officials informed the committee that the pensioners 'records were not kept properly. The subcommittee directed the Ministry of Finance to digitize record of the pensioners.
Sherry remarked that with digitisation of record, pensioners will be able to receive their pensions through ATM instead of waiting in long queues outside banks carrying pension books in their hands.
“Files of pensioners are getting dusty in Finance Ministry’s racks; therefore, digitalization will be even helpful for the ministry to the maintain pensioner’s record,” she added.
Details of Umrah and Hajj
Another subcommittee of the PAC summoned details of the expenses incurred on Umrah and Hajj performed by minister for religious affairs and officials on the ministry’s expense.
The committee also directed the audit officials to audit performance of Khuddam-ul-Hajjaj – officials responsible for facilitating pilgrims at annual pilgrimage in Makkah – and the ministry.
This sub-committee of the PAC was chaired by convener Noor Alam Khan to review the audit objections with regard to the Ministry of Religious Affairs for the year 2017-18. The committee expressed ire over the ministry’s secretary not holding the Departmental Accounting Committees (DAC) meetings.
Noor Alam Khan said: “You are busy traveling abroad. How is the ministry working? Details of foreign visits of federal minister and his staff should also be provided.”
The convener said the list of employees of the Ministry of Religious Affairs who have gone to Hajj and Umrah at government expense should be provided to the committee and if anyone has performed Hajj at government expenditure more than once or twice, then the money spent should be recovered.
The subcommittee also lashed out at Khuddam-ul-Hajjaj's poor performance.
“Khuddam-ul-Hajjaj only serve parliamentarians and bureaucracy while they do not pay any attention to the poor helpless pilgrims. I have never seen Khuddam-ul-Hajjaj anywhere except the dispensaries.
“Details of how many khuddam have been sent to Hajj during the last five years and expenditures incurred on them should be provided to the committee,” the convener said.