Rs5b of BISP not disbursed during PML-N govt

ISLAMABAD: The sub-committee of the Public Accounts Committee was told that during the PML-government over R5 billion of Benazir Income Support Programme remained stashed at the post office and not distributed among the beneficiaries due to negligence of officials of the Benazir Income Support Programme and Pakistan Post.

The sub-committee of the PAC was held on Wednesday with the chair of its Chairperson Senator Sherry Rehman in which the audit paras related to Benazir Income Support Programme and Ministry of Housing and Works for the year 2015-16 were examined.

PAC member Brig (R) Ijaz Shah raised the question that how and what the beneficiaries of the BIPS have done when the amount was not distributed among them. “The action should be taken against the officials of the BISP and Pakistan Post for their negligence”, he suggested.

The officials of the BISP told the sub-committee of the PAC that out of 5.7 million beneficiaries, the amount of Rs5 billion was not distributed around 74000 beneficiaries and there were many reasons due to which the amount was not distributed among the beneficiaries of the BISP.

Chairperson Senator Sherry Rehman said the people were already facing hardship and the amount of over Rs5 billion were not distributed among the beneficiaries.

The sub-committee of the PAC directed the BISP management to provide details of not distributing the BISP funds among its beneficiaries.

While examining the audit paras relating to Ministry of Housing and Works, the audit officials revealed that the Cabinet Division has approved the monetization policy for the government officials from grade 20 to grade 22 but the BISP illegally given Rs7 million to its 19 officials of grade 19 from the monetization heads for the use of cars.

The Audit officials told the Committee that according to Cabinet Division, the monetization policy was not implemented on the officials of grade 19. The audit officials asked to deduct this amount from the salaries of the 19 officials of the BISP.

Examining another audit para related to Ministry of Housing and Works, the audit officials told the sub-committee of the PAC that allotment list of Housing and Works was not safe and tempering in the list for allotment of government accommodation could made in the names in waiting list.

However, Secretary Ministry of Housing and Works admitted that the waiting list of allotment of the government houses was not safe in the past but now it has made safe and secured. “The waiting list of the allotment of government houses now made safe and secure and linked over with federal government and provincial governments,” he told the sub-committee of the PAC.