Govt agencies, PEs late in settling irregularities
KATHMANDU, FEB 27 -
Government offices and public enterprises have not been following the Financial Procedures Regulation with regard to settling irregularities.
The regulation requires irregularities to be settled within 35 days of receipt of the initial audit report from the Office of the Auditor General (OAG). If they need more time to do so, they can ask the OAG for an extension of the deadline.
However, the OAG, which is the auditing agency for government agencies and government-owned corporations, said government offices are yet to settle irregularities amounting to Rs 74.44 billion as of mid-February. The amount requiring settlement at the end of the fiscal 2010-11 was Rs 88.07 billion.
Government offices are yet to settle irregularities amounting to Rs 42.03 billion which is 77.33 percent of the total irregularities in fiscal 2010-11. Likewise, state-owned enterprises are yet to settle irregularities amounting to Rs 32.41 billion which is 96.13 percent of the irregularities in fiscal 2010-11, according to the OAG.
“The level of settlement of irregularities is disappointing compared to previous years,” said OAG assistant spokesperson Netra Prasad Gautam.
There are three types of irregularities. First, the amount to be recovered; second, the amount to be regularized; and third, the amount that has been spent for advance payment. Irregularities are created when government offices don’t follow due procedure while making payment.Irregularities amounting to Rs 12.09 billion out of Rs 15.15 billion in the government agencies
category have been settled as of mid-February. The OAG didn’t conduct a follow-up of Rs 3.03 billion after finding that the settlement done by ministries and other government agencies was conducted with due procedure.
Regarding irregularities involving state-owned enterprises, the OAG has approved the settlement of irregularities amounting to Rs 1.21 billion out of the total settlement of Rs 2.72 billion.
Source: The Kathmandu Post
