Benazir Income Support Programme: DG’s appointment ‘irregular’ says AGP

Recommends recovery of Rs8.696 million paid to him

LAHORE:

The Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) has detected irregularities in the appointment of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) director general Jehangir Alam Chohan.

The AGP has declared Chohan’s re-employment on contract basis for a period of three years as a BS-20 officer as irregular and recommended recovery of Rs8.696 million, which was irregularly paid as monetised allowance and salary.



Official documents said Chohan was re-employed on contract basis for a period three years with effect September 9, 2012. The notification was issued by BISP vide No.1 (247)/BISP/HR/11 dated October 1, 2012 while payment of Rs7.401 million (Rs352, 448) was made during October, 2012 to June, 2014.

The AGP observed that the officer was appointed for a period of three years whereas the Establishment Division rules say that “contract appointments, where justified, may be made for a period of two years initially, on standard terms including termination clause of one month salary in lieu thereof extension may be made on two yearly basis”.

Moreover, the notification for his appointment was also not issued by the Establishment Division whereas the para 6 of the Establishment Division O.M No.6/4/96-R-3 states that all notifications for appointments – to be approved by the prime minster – shall be issued by the division.

The management of BISP from October, 2013 to June 2014 paid Rs61,667 per month as monetisation allowance amounting to Rs1.295 million to the BISP DG Chohan, who is a re-employed BS-20 officer on contract basis for a period for three years.

The AGP observed that monetisation policy was for civil servants of ministries/divisions/attached departments and sub-ordinate offices and other than civil servants were not entitled to avail the subject facility.

The auditor is of the view that payment of monetisation allowance to the officer was unauthorised, the official documents available with The Express Tribune further reveal.

Relevant sections of the Civil Servant Act, 1973 state that ‘civil servant’ means a person who is a member of an All-Pakistan Service or of a civil service of the federation, or who holds a civil post in connection with the affairs the federation, including any such post connected with defence.

However, the definition does not cover a person who is on deputation to the federation from any province or other authority; or a person who is employed on contract, or on work-charged basis or who is paid from contingencies.

The federal government approved the ‘Compulsory Monetisation of Transport Facility for Civil Servants in BS-20 to BS-22’ vide Cabinet Division letter No.6/7/2011-CPC dated December 12, 2011 and the monetisation policy was implemented w.e.f January 1, 2012.

Rule-2(x) of Staff Cars Rules 1980 defines the ‘Entitled Officers’ as officers of Grade 22 , 21 and 20 of the Federal Government borne on the sanctioned Establishment of a Division or an organisation under its administrative control.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 26^th, 2014.