Mass irregularities in Coronavirus spending

The Sindh govt’s procurement, distribution of funds has been identified as lacking transparency

KARACHI:

An audit report by the country’s apex auditing body has revealed serious financial and administrative irregularities on part of the Sindh government in its spending and funds allocation during the coronavirus related lockdowns.

The Auditor General of Pakistan, in its report, has said that the Sindh government failed to ensure transparent procurement and distribution of rations during the rampant Covid-19 wave in the province. It is pertinent to mention that the provincial government released more than Rs 9 billion in coronavirus related spending - which was meant to cover the provision of rations to people affected by the lockdowns, treatment of patients who contracted the virus, establishment of quarantine centres, and purchase of protective kits for medical staff.

According to the report, a copy of which is available with the Express Tribune, Rs 1.38 billion worth of ration bags were bought without any quotations and Rs 680 million worth of ration bags were bought on dubious quotations. The report also states that these ration bags were bought at rates higher than the market rate and that the numbers of bags recorded is lower than those actually purchased. Moreover, the details of what was included in these ration bags were not disclosed.

The report further states that personal protection equipment (PPE) and thermometers were purchased from companies named SM Builders and Madni Builders, despite these companies having no connection with the medical procurement sector.

Similarly, sanitizers, which did not meet the standards set by the World Health Organisation (WHO), were purchased from an entity named as Ranipur Sugar Mills. In this regard, a report of the Sindh Finance Department, shows that 100,000 litres of sanitizer was purchased from the entity at a cost of Rs 60 million rupees - 50,000 litres out of the total acquired amount were bought at a rate of Rs 700 per litre, while the remainder were purchased at Rs 500 per litre.

Furthermore, the report also states that expenditures incurred on quarantine centres were not monitored; the equipment and diagnostic facilities provided at government operated diagnostic centres were not utilised properly; inadequate and expensive kits and PPE were procured for medical staff.Cost breakdowns given in the report also show that the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) spent more than Rs 1.19 billion; local government spent Rs 221.37 million; and the Sindh police spent Rs 51 million on coronavirus related expenditures. Chief Minister Sindh, Murad Ali Shah’s Media Consultant, Abdul Rasheed Channa, when asked about the irregularities in the Auditor General’s report, said that the report had not passed his notice yet.

“The points raised in the report will be considered in the Public Accounts Committee of the Sindh Assembly and if there are any irregularities, the committee is empowered to take action against the responsible officials,” Channa assured while talking to The Express Tribune.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 21^st, 2022.