Special audit of 36 Punjab govt depts begin on Centre's orders

LAHORE: A special audit of the financial matters of the 36 Punjab government’s departments has begun on the directives of the federal government, ARY NEWS reported citing sources.

The teams of the Auditor General of Pakistan will conduct will examine the utilization of Rs 128 billion by the provincial departments. “Every project of the Punjab province under these departments and procurement of material will undergo a scrutiny process,” they said.

The audit teams would review the exemption of Ehsas Kifalat Programme from PEPRA rules while purchasing of personal protective equipment (PPE) for tackling COVID-19 will also be scrutinized, they said.

The funds utilized by education, irrigation, telecommunication, and others will also be audited and concerned departments will be made answerable over any wrongdoings or corrupt practices.

Action against those found responsible for any wrongdoing will also be recommended, they said adding that after approval of the audit report, it will be presented before the Punjab Assembly.

It is pertinent to mention here that the provincial government of Punjab in September 2019 finalized a plan to monitor constituencies belonging to ministers and government legislators besides running special audit of development projects.

The provincial authorities formulated a plan to hold audit and monitoring of development work in constituencies of government ministers and members of provincial assembly (MPAs).

It is pertinent to mention here that the government will pay Rs25 million to a private company to keep an eye over the expenditures on different development projects in the constituencies.