Teams to check monetisation misuse

ISLAMABAD: Without bringing any major changes in existing monetisation policy, the Federal Cabinet under chairmanship of Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday approved that ministries/divisions would be allowed to avail sanctioned official vehicles only and all non-sanctioned/un-authorised cars would have to return back to the Cabinet Division.

The Cabinet took two major decisions including establishment of monitoring teams and second linking of Finance Ministry’s budget with only authorised/sanctioned vehicles of all concerned ministries. If the ministries/divisions would demand extra budget then Finance Ministry should raise objections over it.

There are certain cases where the ministries did not surrender vehicles after completion of projects so the rules were updated by giving directives to them to surrender back all such non authorised cars. The monitoring teams would be assigned to ensure vigilance that no misuse of cars could be done.

The cabinet also directed the Principal Accounting Officer (PAO) of all ministries to ensure strict monitoring that all those top bureaucrats of BS-20 to BS-22 who are availing monetisation should not have facility of official vehicles.

Under the monetisation policy, the federal government is providing around Rs67,000 to BS-20 officers, around Rs89,000 to BS-21 officers and Rs110,000 per month to BS-22 officers but they are not authorised to use official vehicles. It is simply irony that thousands of bureaucrats are getting monthly monetisation but also using official cars. One can find hardly few exceptions exist in each ministry/divisions who are availing either monetisation or only car but almost all of them are enjoying monetisation and official cars simultaneously for last several years.

The monetisation policy was approved during the PPP led regime and former deputy chairman Planning Commission Dr Nadeemul Haq had strongly advocated monetisation policy with the argument that all perks and privileges of bureaucrats should be monetised. Even the journalists had also supported this idea on the pretext that the perks and privileges were misused largely.

It was argument presented by then Planning Commission that the government should get rid of providing housing facility to baboos and monthly amount should be given to bureaucrats and left at their choice to live at two storey building or live at one room house. It was assessed that the government could generate multibillion dollars by vacating state owned precious lands by adopting approach of vertical development instead of pursuing horizontal model.

However, the bureaucracy had tactfully left a lacuna in the rules of monetisation of cars where the ministries were allowed to possess vehicles on name of different projects. So ultimately the monetisation of cars proved a failure.

One top official of government disclosed to The News after attending Cabinet meeting on Tuesday evening that the existing monetisation policy would continue unabated and decided that strict monitoring would be ensured to comply with the orders of the competent authority that monetisation policy should not be misused.

Currently, it can be easily assumed that hundreds of vehicles were being used by the top bureaucrats at the federallevel and they are getting monetisation amount as well. It is not yet known that how monitoring mechanism would ensure ending of its rampant ongoing misuse with just mere one statement of the government.

All tall claims of bringing reforms into the bureaucracy had lost steam and one more move was fizzled out today so bureaucrats should continue enjoying both fixed amount and official cars simultaneously for many years to come.