Audit of devolved ministries becomes complex

ISLAMABAD: The issue of audit objections of the ministries devolved under the 18th amendment turns complex for the AGP and the sub-committee of the PAC as the Ministry of Capital Administration and Development plainly refused to take responsibility of audit paras relating to these ministries.
The officials of the Ministry said it will take responsibility to clear objections of those audit object which were related to it but not to those which were devolved to the provinces and it would be better that these objections should be sent to them.
The meeting of the sub-committee of the PAC was held with the chair of its Chairperson Shahida Akhtar Ali in which the audit paras related to the Ministry of Capital Administration and Development for the year 1998-99 were examined.
The officials of the department of the AGP pointed out 29 audit objections relating to the Ministry of Capital Administration and Development but the Ministry was of the opinion that majority of the audit objections were related to those ministries that were devolved to the provinces and these should be sent to them. The sub-committee of the PAC directed the AGP and Ministry of Capital Administration and Development to take up this issue and report back to the committee within two weeks.
While examining the audit paras related to Ministry of Capital Administration and Development, it was revealed in the meeting that there is no drug testing laboratory in Lahore and Islamabad.
The officials of the CA&D admitted before the committee there is no drug testing laboratory in Lahore and Islamabad as at present only one laboratory in Karachi is operational while another is being established in Lahore.
Raja Javed Ikhlas, a member of the committee, observed that there were reports that low stranded drugs were being provided to the patients in hospitals.The officials of the Pims said the Pims provided those drugs to the patients which were registered in the Drug Regulatory Authority.