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| October 05, 2006 | Thursday | Ramazan 11, 1427 |
NA body criticises Baitul Maal performance
ISLAMABAD, Oct 4: The National Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee has observed that the Ministry of Social Welfare has failed to put in place a social security system in the country.
The committee, which met under chairman Riaz Fatiana in the Parliament House here on Wednesday, looked into complaints of irregularities in the accounts of the Pakistan Baitul Maal and the Ministry of Social Welfare during the financial year 1995-96.
It expressed concern over non-production of record by the Ministry of Social Welfare to the auditor-general of Pakistan and ordered an inquiry into the matter.
It criticised the ministry for its poor performance, saying the ministry had failed in ensuring an Islamic welfare system and putting in place a social security system in the country.
Giving briefing about the performance of his department, the Baitul Maal managing director said Rs4.38 billion were being spent on a food support programme annually. He said the amount of Rs80 million being spent on providing healthcare and educational facilities to the poor was insufficient and it should be increased.
He said a food subsidy scheme had been launched for 350,000 people during 1995-96, and 164,000 people had benefited from the scheme in six months. He denied any corruption in the process.
However, the committee said the programme should have catered to all 350,000 deserving people.
Mr Fatiana criticised performance of the Baitul Maal department, saying it had withheld scholarship cases of deserving students for over six months. “I sent over 20 letters to the Baitul Maal managing director to provide financial assistance to a poor girl student, but he did not even reply to a single letter.
The Baitul Maal managing director acknowledged that he had not replied to the letters of Mr Fatiana.
The committee noted that poverty in the country could be alleviated if the government levied taxes on the rich and provided free healthcare and educational facilities to the masses.—Online
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