MoF asked to digitize record of pensioners

A subcommittee of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Thursday directed the Ministry of Finance (MoF) to digitize the record of pensioners.

The committee headed by Senator Sherry Rehman remarked that with digitization of record, pensioners will be able to receive their pensions through ATM instead of waiting in long queues outside banks carrying pension books in their hands.

Senator Sherry Rehman said that the files of pensioners are being tarnished in Finance Ministry's file racks; therefore, digitalization will be even helpful for the Ministry to maintain pensioner's record.

On surrendering the access grant by the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP), she remarked that poverty is rampant in the country and it is strange that BISP could not find poor to pay the monthly stipend. She directed BISP officials to give a detailed briefing to the committee.

Apprising the committee, the DG Finance BISP said that initially a survey of 27 million people was carried out according to which 7.7 percent people were eligible for the monthly stipend according to the poverty score card. However, he said 5 percent people registered themselves with the programme and by the time payment of monthly stipend was started to them, the number increased to 5.3 percent.

The DG Finance (BISP) further told the committee that a fresh survey is being carried out in which many anomalies will be addressed. To another grant which the Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV) had surrendered, Senator Sherry Rehman Rehman remarked that PTV's ill-planning and incompetence was proven with the surrender of the amount. The grant was demanded for installation of boosters in far-flung areas for PTV's live transmission.

Managing Director PTV Amir Manzur pleaded that the grant was surrender because the contractor failed to complete the construction work in stipulated time frame as the possession of the land on which these boosters had to be installed was not given, therefore the grant was lapsed and surrendered.

About PTV, the MD said that a new board of directors has been constituted to ensure the independence of PTV and procedure to spend the grant is also being changed. The committee on the recommendation of Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed settled the grants.

In another meeting of the subcommittee of the Public Accounts Committee, the committee members while expressing serious concerns over the law and order situation in the capital city has directed the Inspector General (IG) of Islamabad Police to take effective measures in checking the increasing criminal activities.

These directions were given by a subcommittee of the PAC which held here under the chairmanship of Member National Assembly (MNA) Noor Alam Khan. The panel also directed the chairman Capital Development Authority (CDA) to provide the details of all the land leases illegally awarded to various housing societies within a month.

The panel further directed the CDA to fix responsibility on the officials involved in illegal land leases and submit the details with the PAC secretariat.

The committee also asked the senior officials of Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) for the provision of the inquiry report of illegal recruitments in the municipality. Further directions were also passed on regarding Sir Syed Memorial, Horticulture Society, setting up of illegal petrol pumps and diversion of parking lots from residential areas.

The Islamabad police chief was also asked not to appoint any police official having links involved with the land mafia in any of the police stations of the capital city. The panel showed grave concern over increasing incidents of mobile snatching in the limits of federal capital. The committee member expressed serious anger over the absence of federal secretary from the meeting.

The IG Islamabad told the panel that police are making all-out efforts in checking the mobile snatching incidents, saying that Islamabad's areas adjacent with Rawalpindi are most affected with the mobile phone snatching cases.

Chief Commissioner Islamabad Amir Ahmed Ali, briefing the panel on the issues related to Sir Syed Memorial Society, Park Enclave Housing Society and diversion of parking lots in residential areas for other purposes said the allotees of Park Enclave will get possession in March 2020 while developmental works are going on in full swing.