Finance Minister AMA Muhith yesterday said the number of audit objections against 55 ministries or divisions was 853,314 involving Tk615,606 crore.
Replying to a query in the budget discussion in parliament, the minister said: “The reasons behind these audit objections are not replying to the audit objections by the executive authorities, replied without adequate information and documents, and lack of manpower at the Audit Department.”
The minister said the money of the audit objection is usually realised from the relevant person and organisation.
He mentioned that the government gives directives to the authorities concerned from time to time on the matter.
The directives include realising the money in the light of various laws and government rules, file cases and enforce “Public Demands Recovery Act, 1913” if necessary, speeding up the process through forming ministry or division-based audit cells and taking administrative actions against those responsible.
Muhith said a process is on to hold bilateral or tripartite meetings to recover the money.
Mobile banking on the rise
The minister said the total amount of transaction through mobile banking, provided by 20 banks, was Tk1,03,199 crore in the first 10 months of the outgoing fiscal year.
The amount was Tk78,303 crore in the last fiscal year, he told parliament in response to a question yesterday.
Muhith also said the government had brought back Tk11.77 crore siphoned off by Arafat Rahman Koko, the younger son of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia who died in January. The amount was brought back from Singapore through SWIFT on November 20, 2012.
The minister also mentioned that all the government agencies concerned were working to bring back the money siphoned off the country in the past.
1,794kg gold seized in 5 years
Muhith said the law enforcers had confiscated 1,793.72kg smuggled gold in the last five years and those were deposited in Bangladesh Bank.
In the current fiscal year, some 719kg gold was seized in 327 incidents, he said adding that the seized gold is sold in auction and the money goes to the national exchequer.
Responding to another query, the minister said the government would set up tax offices in all the upazila headquarters in phases with a view to extending the tax net.
“Tax offices have already been set up in 85 upazilas having revenue potential,” he added.
‘Ganges Barrage can cut salinity’
Water Resources Minister Anisul Islam Mahmud yesterday told the parliament that the Ganges Barrage must be built to mitigate the growing problem of salinity and water crisis for irrigation in the country’s south-western region.
He said the government would try to build the barrage in cooperation with India.
“Construction of the barrage will cost $4bn. It will be constructed in such a way that the normal water flow of the Padma River is not be hampered,” Anisul said during the budget discussion.
If the barrage is constructed, it would be possible to supply safe water to 130 small rivers, he added.
Mentioning that it is not possible to resolve water crisis without regional cooperation, the minister said: “Water management needs to be improved through cooperation with India, Nepal and China.”
