KARACHI, Sep 20 (NNI): Caretaker Sindh Chief Minister Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar has directed the Finance departments to introduce reforms in Treasuries to plug corruption and delist ghost pensioners and simultaneously start an exercise to frame recommendations for the Provincial Finance Commission Award so that the upcoming elected government could announce it at its outset.
He issued these directives while presiding over a meeting of the Finance department here at CM Hous. The meeting was attended by Chief Secretary Dr. Fakhre Ala, Chairman P&D Shakeel Manejo, Secretary Finance Kazim Jatoi, Special Secretaries – Tariq Shah, Shahmir Bhutto, Nisar Memon, and other concerned officers.
Secretary Finance Kazim Jatoi briefed the chief minister about the functions and responsibilities of the finance department.
Treasuries: The chief minister pointed out that there were growing complaints of corruption in the Treasuries. The Treasury officers not only create problems in releasing pensions but also run a system under which ghost pensioners’ pensions are pocketed, the CM said.
The CM said that most of the retiring employees were running from pillar to post to receive their gratuities and pensions. He directed the chief secretary to ask all the deputy commissioners to hold open kutcheries along with the representatives of the finance depts to verify the pensioners and delist the ghost employees by adopting due procedure.
The CM directed the Finance department to introduce automation in all the Treasuries so that pensions and other payments could be released through a digitalized system in time. The Secretary Finance assured the CM that an automation system would be introduced.
Reforms in pension: The CM was told that 17.7 percent of the total budget – Rs2.282 trillion – was current Revenue Expenditures in which 14 percent of funds were consumed in pensions.
The CM directed P&D and finance departments to bring reforms to the pension system. He added that there should be a system in which government employees must contribute a minor portion of their salaries to their pension fund which should be invested to reduce the burden on the government exchequer.
PFC: The chief minister was told that Rs30 billion was required to fulfill the additional funding of the local council due to a 50 percent increase in their monthly share. At this, the CM said that the formation of a Provincial Finance Commission (PFC) was a need of the hour. He added that in the composition two provincial assembly members were required on PFC, therefore it would be completed after general elections.
He directed the Finance department to start an exercise to firm up recommendations for the PFC award so that the next elected government could implement it at the start of its tenure.
Justice Baqar directed the finance, P&D, and Local government departments to strengthen local bodies and guide them on how to generate their funds. The regular dependence of the local bodies on the provincial government grants was not a healthy practice, the interim CM said, and added they must be guides to create their own resources and generate funds for local development. NNI
