Additional funds approved for trips
Despite financial crunch and growing economic woes in the country, federal ministers and advisers spent Rs67.085 million in the first half (Jul-Dec) of current fiscal year in travel allowance and dearness allowance (TA/DA) on domestic and foreign trips.
The government has approved additional funds to clear pending TA/DA bills of federal ministers.
On the one side, the government has imposed taxes of billions of rupees in the recent mini-budget and increased petroleum levy on oil sales to consumers due to financial crunch while on the other side, it approved millions of rupees to clear pending TA/DA bills for domestic and foreign trips claimed by the federal ministers.
Sources told The Express Tribune that the government had approved additional supplementary grant of Rs48.6 million on account of TA/DA for the federal ministers and advisers.
The Cabinet Division recently tabled a summary before the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet, requesting it to approve a technical supplementary grant of Rs48.6 million for TA/DA.
The Cabinet Division informed the economic decision-making body that according to the Rules of Business 1973, the division was responsible for allocating funds for expenditure on pay and allowances and TA/DA in respect of the cabinet (federal ministers, ministers of state, advisers and special assistants to the prime minister).
During the current fiscal year 2022-23, Rs67.085 million was allocated to meet the expenditures of TA/DA. Due to increase in the number of foreign and domestic visits of cabinet members, the allocated funds were fully exhausted in the first half of the fiscal year.
Claims of cabinet members amounting to Rs42.189 million were pending with the division due to unavailability of funds. Therefore, the Finance Division was approached to seek the provision of additional funds, which advised to get the requisite funds through surrendering funds from other demands of the Cabinet Division.
Accordingly, the Cabinet Division surrendered an amount of Rs48.675 million for obtaining a technical supplementary grant of the equal amount.
The ECC’s approval was solicited for the technical supplementary grant for clearance of the bills of TA/DA (foreign and domestic) of cabinet members.
The ECC considered the summary submitted by the Cabinet Division titled “Request for technical supplementary grant of Rs48.675 million for TA/DA (foreign and domestic) of cabinet members” and approved the proposal.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 10th, 2023.
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