Deputy Auditor General Zakat has informed SC that irregularities of Rs573 million in Zakat funds and Rs3 billion in Baitul Maal funds were pointed out in 2019-20 audit.
In pursuance of a five-judge bench of apex court direction, Deputy Auditor General, Sardar Azmat Shafie, Federal Secretary Ministry of National Health Services, provinces of Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on Saturday submitted progress reports about the steps taken to control the coronavirus pandemic.
Sardar Azmat submitted that in the audit of Zakat funds for audit year 2019-2020 total budget for Zakat Department was Rs7.38 billion.
A sample audit of 13 percent of this budget amount i.e. Rs961 million was carried out in which irregularities of Rs574 million were pointed out. He informed that Pakistan Baitul Mal annual budget was Rs5 billion.
An audit of total amount was carried out and irregularities of Rs3 billion were found in the audit. The irregular expenditure of Baitul Mal was 62 percent. Rs475 million recoveries were pointed out.
According to the report, he submitted in the Supreme Court, the audit of Zakat Fund is being carried out by this office since 1986.
It informed that Zakat collected by federal government is being transferred to the provinces according the to formula that out of the total seven percent is being retained for Islamabad Capital Territory, the FATA, and the Gilgit-Baltistan.
The share of ICT is 35 percent, FATA 46 percent and GB is 19 percent. The remaining 93 percent amount is transferred to the provinces. The provincial share is 57 percent Punjab, 24 percent Sindh, 14 percent Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, and five percent Balochistan.
KP report: The purchase of required PPEs was done by the respective provincial authorities to meet the demands of the staff of healthcare looking after the coronavirus patients.
It informed that total sanctioned posts of doctors in the KP are 7,472. Out of these 5,957 are filled. The nursing staff sanctioned posts are 6,707 and out of them 6,181 have already been filled.
The province has total 581 ventilators and has testing of 1,438 per day. A contract to procure private testing facility will be finalised by the end of this week, which will enhance the testing facility to more than 4,000 per day.
Total cases in the KP are 2,160 and out of the total died 114, said the KP report. Punjab: The total quarantine centers in the Punjab are 232 with the capacity of catering for 28,850 patients.
The quarantine facilities have been established as per notified guidelines. The facilities are made away from the populated areas. The Punjab said that the expenditure on the administrative organization of Zakat and Ushr Department is attached administrative set up including Council and District Zakat and Ushr committees are met by the Punjab government from its consolidate funds.
However, 10 percent of Zakat funds can be spent on the administrative expenditure it terms of Section 8(4) of Punjab Zakat and Ushr Act, 2018. About Baitul Mal funds it informed that from January 2020 to date the money from Baitul Mal were disbursed among 16,707,100 needy and destitute people, while Rs457,779 spent on administrative expenses.
Federal Secretary Health: The authorities shifted the quarantine operation from Haji Complex to the Hostel City, Park Road near COMSATS University. He informed that as per the SC direction he visited the Haji Camp.
The new quarantine center has better facilities. The federal cabinet has approved special package for doctors, and paramedic stating, which include additional monthly basic salary with monthly pay and allowance. Shuhada package announced for the doctors and paramedics staff who died in line of duty, while treating COVID-19 patients.