Islamabad, Aug 4: The Auditor General of Pakistan found anomalies in the payment of Rs. 20.654 million to workers of the Universal Service Fund (USF), which is overseen by the Ministry of IT and Telecom (MoITT).
A monthly fuel ceiling was paid to officers above the management level during the 2022–2023 fiscal year, in addition to the Rs. 13.532 million vehicle monetization allowance that was previously given to them, according per the audit report. According to the audit, the twofold benefit provision violated good internal control criteria that are relevant to public sector enterprises.
The audit report states that all public sector firms must set up an efficient internal control system that adheres to the values of probity, integrity, and honesty in order to comply with the Public Sector firms (Corporate Governance) Rules, 2013. The audit highlights that these regulations were broken by the USF when it approved a monthly fuel ceiling above the monetization allowed.
The decision by management to pay both benefits at the same time was chastised in the study, which also pointed out a breach in internal controls and a disdain for government regulations governing compensation and benefits.The USF administration justified the payments by claiming that the Board of Directors had authorized the monetization policy, which was incorporated in the HR Manual and covered both fuel entitlement and vehicle monetization in place of official cars.
The audit report, however, found this response to be inappropriate, stating that the Board had not expressly approved the simultaneous issuance of the fuel ceiling and the monetization allowance. The audit claimed that this was a departure from the planned policy framework and a misreading of the Board’s consent.
The audit report states that the Departmental Accounts Committee (DAC) reiterated its previous position from a December 2022 meeting while discussing the matter on January 11, 2024. In order to bring the company’s policies into line with those of the government, the DAC ordered USF management to bring the issue back before the Board of Directors.
The DAC also emphasized the necessity of strictly adhering to instructions in order to guard against future departures from set policies and guarantee the prudent administration of public monies. In order to stop similar incidents, the Auditor General’s report has recommended that the DAC orders be implemented right away and that USF’s internal controls be reviewed. The results have sparked questions about supervision and governance in public sector organizations, highlighting the significance of open and accountable procedures in the administration of public funds.
