HYDERABAD, July 25: The accountant-general of Sindh, Zulfiqar Ali Kadri, has said that his organization has aimed to complete the computerisation of all district accounts offices (DAOs) of the province by the end of 2007.

In the first phase of computerisation being carried out under the “Project to Improve Financial Reporting and Auditing (PIFRA)” with financial and technical assistance from World Bank, the System Application Product (SAP), an accounting application, would be introduced in all the DAOs, he said.

Speaking at a meeting with the district officers of provincial and district government departments at Shahbaz Building after inaugurating “workflow” accounting system at the district accounts office on Monday, he said that Hyderabad was the first pilot site in Sindh where SAP was introduced in 2004 which dealt with government employees’ salaries and reporting of district accounts office.

Afterwards, the system was introduced in Karachi, Sukkur, Larkana and Nawabshah, he said adding that in the same manner, “workflow”, the new computerized accounting system had been introduced in Karachi and Hyderabad simultaneously. It would later be introduced in Larkana, Sukkur and Nawabshah within two to three months, he said.

Mr Kadri said that Hyderabad was again the first district where “workflow” had been introduced. This system enables the accounts offices to transfer and communicate all the transactions electronically by inputting available data, forwarding it in a prescribed manner and releasing electronically printed cheques.

He urged the district officers to make the new system a success. It might pose some difficulties in initial stages, but they could be brought under control by training all the EDOs, DOs and DDOs of government organizations.

He said that the system focussed on resolving the problems of retired and those awaiting retirement by streamlining their pension contribution and GP fund payment.

His management had evolved a system under which lists of retiring employees were being sent to each department a year before their retirement with the request to complete their documentation formalities before they retired so that their claims could be finalized without further delay, he said.

Besides, the system effectively discourages the involvement of third person in getting the retiring employees’ financial matters settled to avoid corruption, unfair means and difficulties to beneficiaries, he said.

The AG lauded the staff at district accounts office Hyderabad, who he said had worked hard to implement “workflow” and announced that they would be awarded 15-day basic salary as encouragement.

EDO Finance Mohammad Sharif Awan, all the EDOs of district government, DDOs of provincial government and Abdul Latif Soomro from Regional Directorate of District Audit Hyderabad attended the meeting.

Earlier, the AG inaugurated the “workflow” by unveiling a plaque and clicking a mouse to get a cheque electronically printed at the district accounts office where he was also briefed by the district accounts officer, Allah Bachayo Jatoi.

Mr Kadri later met with District Nazim Kanwar Naveed Jamil and complained to him that the concerned departments were slow in providing data on their employees which had created difficulties not only for his office but also for the employees.

The nazim assured him that the district government would extend its full support and cooperation to the new system by training its staff.

Mr Kadri informed the nazim that his office had published a district-wise directory to facilitate the pensioners. He said that had already submitted a list of government employees who would retire during the financial year 2006-07, a year before their retirement, but regretted the concerned departments’ response was very poor.