ISLAMABAD: Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Wednesday directed audit authorities to expedite audit of National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) and submit progress report within 30 days.
The committee met here at Parliament House in the chairmanship of MNA Rana Tanveer Hussain.
The committee examined the audit report for the year 2019-20 maximum five highlighted audit paras in order of highest amount involved therein.
The senior officials of NBP briefed the committee about the Human Resource and Procurement including hiring policy of 2012 to 2020.
They also briefed the committee about the salient features of promotion policy- 2012. Chairman committee said that promotion of employees should be ensured transparently.
The committee also examined the audit para related to irregular appointments and promotion in State Bank of Pakistan.
During audit of SBP for financial year 2017-18, it was observed that the management appointed 19 officers in the category of IG 2 & OG 3 in violation of SBP policy on lateral hiring and irregularity fixed their salary over the minimum pay of scales and irregularity paid an amount of Rs 36.835 million.
Management replied that lateral hiring at OG-4 level and above was allowed as per the policy, there were provisions for taking exception to the policy.
The Departmental Accounts Committee (DAC) was not satisfied with the explanation given by the management before DAC.
The committee directed SBP to present a detailed report regarding irregular appointments before the committee and fix the responsibility in case of irregularity.
The committee also examined the irregular award of medicines contract of SBP.
Members of the committee MNA Ali Nawaz Shah, MNA Muhammad Ibrahim Khan, MNA Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, MNA Syed Hussain Tariq, MNA Raja Riaz, MNA Khawaja Sheraz Mehmood, MNA Khwaja Muhammad Asif, MNA Sardar Nasrullah Khan Dreshak, Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Senator Sherry Rehman and Senator Muhammad Talha Mahmood attended the meeting.
The meeting was also attended by senior officials of SBP, NBP, Senior official of Finance Division and National Food Security.