The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) came hard on the Ministry of Finance on Wednesday for not getting the Monetization of Vehicles’ Policy implemented in its true letter and spirit.
The PAC also formed a committee comprising Finance, Establishment Division and Cabinet Division secretaries to report back to it in 15 days on the advantages, disadvantages and financial implications in the first six months of the implementation of the policy.
The PAC also sought detailed report on the rules farmed in 1980 under which bureaucrats had been provided with official vehicles. The committee met with Nadeem Afzal Gondal to get a briefing from the Finance Ministry and the Cabinet Division on the implementation of the Monetisation Vehicles’ Policy and its financial impacts.
Briefing the PAC, the finance secretary said no ministry had submitted a report regarding the state of implementation of the policy. He also said the Monetization of Vehicles’ Policy was not the brainchild of the Finance Ministry but was proposed by Pay and Pension Commission and approved by the cabinet. He said Rs 779 millions had been allocated for the policy in the current financial budget while it would be reduced to Rs 146 millions in next year and huge sum of funds would be saved in next few years with the implementation of the said policy. He also apprised the House that no funds had been allocated for the procurement of new cars in the current budget. However, PAC members remained unsatisfied with the briefing regarding implementation of Monetization of Vehicles’ Policy by Ministries and Divisions.
Additional Secretary Cabinet Division Tahir Shahbaz briefed the House that the government officers were provided with official vehicles under 1980 rules which had not been amended since then. Per the rules grade 20 and 22 officers were entitled to use 1000cc and 1300cc vehicles while Ministers and Minister of State were authorized to use 1800 cc vehicles.
He said officers of lower grades were also using higher valued vehicles for which they were not authorised, just because unavailability of new vehicles and old vehicles abandoned by Ministers had been trickled down to lower graded officers.
The PAC sought a detailed report about the rules with the observation that higher valued vehicles could not be trickled down to lower graded officers.
The PAC also directed the finance secretary to report the name of principal accounting officer (PAO) who would refuse to implement Monetization of Vehicles’ Policy for appropriate action.
