Finance ministry asked to make formula for allotting uplift funds

ISLAMABAD: The Subcommittee of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Monday directed the Ministry of Finance to formulate the mechanism for releasing the development funds to all the ministries and divisions timely instead of releasing the funds in the last week of June.

The meeting of the PAC Subcommittee was held here on Monday with the chair of its Convener Senator Shibli Faraz in which the audit paras related to Ministry of Interior and its attached departments for the financial year 2010-11 were examined. Examining the audit para, the audit officials told the Subcommittee of the PAC that funds for the purchase of the vehicles and other purchase to Frontier Corps in the last week of June due to it the FC kept these funds in the Private Bank.

Convener Subcommittee of the PAC, Senator Shibli Faraz, commented that if the Finance Ministry release the funds in the last week of June then the funds continued to be lapsed. PAC Member Sheikh Rohail Asghar remarked that the Finance Ministry was responsible of the lapse of the funds of all the ministries and divisions.

Secretary, Ministry of Interior, Yousaf Naseem Khokhar, suggested that PAC should give directions to the Ministry of Finance to relase all the development and non-development funds to all the ministries and division timely to avoid the lapse of the funds.

During the meeting, the audit officials raised the objections to the collections of funds in the name of welfare funds by the Interior Ministry and its attached departments and told the committee that the Finance Ministry has sent back the rules with objection which were drafted for the funds. The Audit officials told the committee that the Finance Ministry has raised objection on these rules and suggested for amending the acts of department’s Civil Armed forces.

Secretary Ministry of Interior told the committee that the Interior Ministry has written to the departments of the Civil Armed forces for amending their acts while the draft of the amendment to act from Punjab Rangers has been received. The representatives of the Frontier Constabulary told the committee that they were in support of the amendment to the act.

The PAC Subcommittee directed the Interior Ministry and its attached departments that the Interior Ministry to make the welfare funds part of the regular budget and till the amendment deferred the audit para. Examining the audit para, the Audit officials told the committee that Ministry of Interior was not sharing the record of the fees collected through weapon licenses.

The audit officials told the committee that the Interior Ministry issues the Weapon licences while Nadra collects the fees of it and record of licences of approximately Rs 100 million was not provided to the audit department. The audit officials told the committee that the record of licencees of over Rs63 million out of Rs100 million was not available.

Convener of Subcommittee Senator Shibli Faraz commented that it was duty of the Interior Ministry to recover this amount. He directed an inquiry in the matter against two ex-secretaries of Interior Ministry.

Secretary Ministry of Interior told the committee that the FIA has made the inquiry in it and should be asked for inquiry report. The officials of the FIA replied that this audit was not in his knowledge and could be able to present the detailed report on it in the next meeting. The Sub-committee of the PAC give one-month time to secretary Interior Ministry to investigate this matter in his personal capacity.