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KARACHI, Jan 16 (APP):The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Sindh Assembly, Thursday, sought details of all District Annual Development Plan (ADP) schemes including the expenditure from the allocated budget of Rs120 billion and progress on District ADP schemes across the province.
The PAC Sindh, in a meeting presided over by the committee Chairman Nisar Ahmed Khuhro here at Sindh Assembly building, also instructed the Chief Secretary Sindh to notify the Principal Accounting Officer for the district ADP schemes.
The meeting was attended by committee members Makhdoom Fakhar-uz-Zaman, Taha Ahmed, Secretary Works and Services Department Muhammad Ali Khoso and other officers, said a statement issued here.
The PAC was informed that a budget of Rs120 billion has been set aside in the current fiscal year for the district ADP schemes for all the districts of Sindh. Funds for district ADP are allocated on the basis of the population of the district and NFC award formula and finance department releases the money for the ADP schemes of each district to the deputy commissioner concerned.
The district ADP schemes are approved by a District Development Committee headed by the deputy commissioner concerned and comprising XENs of the Works Department, Superintendent Engineers and a representative of the Local Government, deputy commissioners and others.
Deputy commissioners stated that after approval of district ADP schemes by the DC’s, the matters pertaining to tenders and expenditure on schemes are dealt by the XENs and SEs of the Works Department. The Secretary WSD informed that district ADP funds were transferred to DCs and secretary of the department is not the Principal Accounting Officer in the regard.
Chairman PAC Nisar Khuhro expressed annoyance that since 2009 it has not been decided that who is the principal accounting officers, either the DC or the secretary of the department? On which the secretary Works said that a summary has been moved to the Finance Department regarding the matter.
Chairman PAC Nisar Khuhro said that billions of rupees were spent on the district ADP schemes from the tax money of the public and relevant officers were accountable as to. “If the district ADP schemes are prepared by the DC, then they should be accountable for them,” he remarked.
The PAC directed all the deputy commissioners to submit in 10 days complete details of all the district ADP schemes of all the districts of Sindh including progress on the ongoing schemes and expenditure incurred so far.