ISLAMABAD: The PML-N’s Punjab government blatantly violated rules and regulations to accommodate its favourites and party workers by doling out tractors under the Green Tractor Scheme, incurring a loss of Rs 2 billion resultantly.
According to the Auditor General of Pakistan Revenue (AGPR) report on the accounts of the Punjab government for the year 2009-10, the Agriculture Department initiated the project during financial year 2008-9 to provide tractors to the farming community at subsidised rates.
Under the plan approved by Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Rs 2 billion were sanctioned and released through supplementary grant in 2008-9 vide letter numbers SO (B&A) 9-2/2008 dated October 15, 2008 and February 21, 2009, to purchase 10,000 tractors.
The chief minister had approved the summary regarding the eligibility and criteria for allotment of tractors on November 11, 2008.
Of the 94 tractors allotted in Lahore, 31 applications were not scrutinised at all, as no meeting of the scrutiny committee was ever held to ascertain credentials of the applicants per clauses I-IV and I-V defined in criteria instructions.
Moreover, no-objection certificates (NoCs) were not obtained from the Zarai Taraqiyati Bank Limited (ZTBL) in all 94 cases as required vide Sr No 4 of the eligibility criteria.
Moreover, in 63 cases, persons other than mentioned in the chief minister’s summary (para No 85) were included.
DDO(R) Lahore did not close the application register with his signature per clause I-IV and I-V of the instructions.
In 241 cases in Multan, the allotment list was signed only by the DCO instead of the committee designated vide para 85(b) of the CM’s summary.
Irregularities in Green Tractor Scheme cost Punjab Rs 2b
