Punjab Accountant General Wazir Ahead Qureshi has said the Punjab government is paying a huge amount of about Rs 10 billion to 350,000 pensioners annually in the province.
The Punjab Accountant General Office, despite 30 percent shortage of staff, is also maintaining the record of all financial matters related to pay, allowance and other monetary benefits of 650,000 in-service government employees serving in different departments, said Wazir Qureshi in a panel interview with APP.
About timely payment of pensions, he said arrangements have been made at all district headquarters for payment to pensioners at their doorsteps, adding that open kutcheries would be held regularly on the 15th of every month to address grievances of pensioners on the spot.
Wazir Qureshi said all heads of government departments and authorised officers have been directed to prepare pension documents well in time before the retirement of government employees so that they may not face any problems in getting their dues at the retirement.
About the computerisation and automation of the AG Office, he said a proposal has been submitted to the provincial government to link the network of all district account officers through electronic integration.
Wazir Qureshi stressed the need for proper audit of expenditures being incurred on the execution of development projects, and observed that strict financial discipline and transparent disbursement of funds is the key to success in civilised nations the world over.
He warned that that the amount payable in post-retirement benefits to the government employees may exceed the total deductions from their salaries.
"This impending situation can be averted only by setting up some endowment fund or trust to invest the GP fund in a more profitable manner", he said, adding that such a fund could be set up with the seed money of Rs 4 billion.
He said that sites for the World Bank's Pifra projects would be developed at the AG Office and Faisalabad District Accounts Office (DAD) by October 30.
The introduction of Fiscal Responsibility Law would help ensure rational borrowing by the government from the banks and the financial institutions, he said, and observed that the retirement of high cost cash development loans by the Punjab government was a good step.
Wazir Ahmad Qureshi said the AG Office was working to ensure that pension cheques were delivered at the doorsteps of widows and very old pensioners.
To a query, he said it was not fair to seek certificates from pensioners to prove that they were alive.
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