By Asim Shahzad
LAHORE: In the meeting of Public Accounts Committee-II, the committee expressed its displeasure over the unnecessary keeping of government money by the Punjab Social Protection Fund in commercial banks and directed to establish a social security fund immediately.

The meeting of Public Accounts Committee-II has held in the Punjab Assembly under the chairmanship of Ali Haider Gilani. The audit reports of TEVTA and PND Board were discussed in the meeting and the committee was informed that Rs. 1.5 billion related to the audit report of the PND Board for the year 2021-22 have been deposited in the government treasury.
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The committee expressed displeasure over the recruitment of a consultant against the rules in the PND Board and ordered an investigation into the matter.
The committee also directed to exclude poor and needy women who have achieved the privilege of Hajj and Umrah from PMT scoring.
The committee stressed on devising a simple procedure for disbursing financial assistance to poor families through the Ramadan package.
The committee expressed its displeasure over the delay in preparing the annual financial accounts of TEVTA for the year 2020 and 2021.
The committee ordered the Institute’s showroom in-charge to collect the cost of the items worth Rs 2.5 million manufactured at the Blue Pottery Development Institute, Multan, in June 2020 and deposit them in the government treasury.
The committee expressed its displeasure over the non-spending of funds allocated under the “New Life Program” for Jinnah Hospital Lahore (Burn Unit).
The committee expressed its displeasure over the collection of 8 percent service charges on the provision of interest-free government loans to poor students in collaboration with ATVET and Akhuwat. And directed that such charges be kept to a minimum in future for the welfare of the people.
Rana Aftab Ahmed Khan, Khurram Ijaz, Sher Ali, Raheela Khadim Hussain and Adnan Afzal Chatta participated in the committee.
