Huge backlog of audit objections at MoA

Rezaul Karim | Published: December 08, 2013 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2024 06:01:00

A huge backlog of unsettled audit objections has piled up with the ministry of agriculture (MoA) and its different departments due to increased irregularities, official sources said.
By the end of November the audit objections pertaining to transactions worth Tk 120.99 billion of the MoA and its departments rose to 14489, according to the MoA data.
Some 167 audit objections of the ministry and department concerned were settled till November, the data mentioned.
"The rate of disposal of audit objections is low because of several reasons. We lack trained manpower and resources. We are at present managing with a small staff whereas the amount of expenditure has been steadily increasing. But we are concerned about the large number of cases and have demanded additional trained manpower."
"We could not finish audit reports on time due to complexities of the ministry and agencies. But it is possible to get rid of the backlog of audit objections if all concerned can work properly," sources said.
It takes time to scrutinise for settling the audit objections to financial complexities. So, the office of comptroller and auditor general (OCAG) examines various expenditures if they seem doubtful, officials said.
"We have been asked the OCAG again and again to finish or update audit objections of different agencies as early as possible. But if we want to examine expenditures of public money, then it takes time to settle those," Public Accounts Committee (PAC) sources said.
"The reports and expenditures of the MoA and its departments were mostly lacking substantial information. So, for compiling audit reports, we give a certain time to resolve inconsistencies in expenditure, source said.
The inspection report was unable to verify irregular payment of pay and huge allowances against lapsed posts, excessive expenditure on various programme, activities, travel allowance and daily allowance claims.
All these financial objections increased backlog of the audit. "We have resolved all objections to different agencies' financial irregularities after getting satisfactory answers," sources said.
Audit observations involving serious financial irregularities are initially developed into Advance Paras (AP) and subsequently Draft Paras (DP) after taking into consideration the replies received from the concerned auditee organisation and the Principal Accounting Officer (secretary of the ministry/division), CAG sources explained.
The PAC deals with important observations and comments of the audit reports through threadbare scrutiny, simultaneously giving hearing to the Principal Accounting Officers (secretaries of different ministries) and concerned officials, a PAC sources said.
PAC findings include the responses of the ministries and executive agencies along with the recommendations of the committee. PAC recommendations are usually accepted by the executive departments. OCAG provides necessary support to PAC in effective functioning, the OCAG webpage mentioned.