The Public Accounts Committee of the federal parliament has decided to conclude discussions on annual report of Auditor General, which is yet to be discussed in the committee, by April this year.

The meeting of the committee held in Singha Durbar on Thursday directed the agencies concerned to conduct auditing of the remaining organisations within three months.

Committee’s Chairman Bharat Kumar Shah said the meeting decided to make a calendar for a better coordination among the committee, the Office of the Auditor General and the agencies concerned to discuss the remaining reports of the Auditor General.

The meeting has directed the government to keep the record of the officials and their role in operating financial transactions and take it as the basis of criteria while providing opportunities for transfer, and other professional development.

Expressing concerns over the growing tendency of settling arrears instead of maintaining the unpaid debt, the meeting has directed the ministries, commissions and secretariats to pay attention to maintain minimum arrears.

The committee has also directed them to mandatorily implement its past directives and submit the report within the next two months. It summoned the concerned ministries, constitutional bodies, and commissions, among other offices, based on the report unveiled at the 55th anniversary of the Office Auditor General, and informed them about the status of arrears.

The progress reports on arrears settlement were presented by Chief Secretary Lok Darshan Regmi, secretaries at various ministries, Auditor General and chiefs of various constitutional bodies. Office of the President,

National Awareness Centre, National Human Rights Commission, Office of Attorney General, among others, also briefed the committee on the status of the arrears.

Arrears amassing every year has raised question marks on the transparency of the country’s economic governance, lawmakers present at the meeting said, urging the entities concerned to actively engage in settling them.

Responding to lawmakers’ queries, Regmi said the arrears are piling up due to policy problems and expressed his commitment to ensure effective settlement of arrears.