The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Accounts has recommended that the cabinet may consider formation of a Parliamentary Task Force' to suggest constructive steps to undo the negative impact of union activities on the economy.

The Committee, in its second report placed in the Jatiya Sangsad yesterday, noted with concern that "certain officers' and employees’ unions in government. semi-government and autonomous institutions have been trying to create disorder on the pretext of realising demands, applying unreasonable pressure ana interfering In the day-to-day administrative activities’’.

Chairman of the Committee S M Akram. MP. presented the report in the House. Formed on November 20. 1996. the Committee had earlier placed its first report in July last year.

The second report said This Committee is sympathetic

to the need for Improvement of the standard of living of the employees, officers and workers. Nevertheless the Committee believes that these activities have an adverse effect on overall productivity in a developing country like Bangladesh and such an environment discourages much needed foreign investment in the increasing development of the country.’

In view of the negative impact on the economy, and in establishing good administrative system and developing the working environment, the Committee considers this issue worthy of being discussed by the Cabinet.

The report further said that in addition to taking other steps on the issue, the Cabinet may consider establishing a ’Parliamentary Task Force’ and ’in view of the welfare of the majority of the people, the Cabinet Division is being informed to draw attention of the appro-

From Page 1 priate authorities to this decision of the Committee'.

Besides, the Committee noted that inter-enterprise and inter-agency debts arising from unpaid bills for goods and services rendered to each other' had been spiralling in the country.

The state-owned enterprises (SOEs) are frequently faced with liquidity crisis due to their failure to collect arrear debts. To encounter this crisis, the enterprises take the easy way out of taking a 'go-slow' policy on paying their own obligations to the other enterprises, said the Committee report.

Noting that the financial administration of the government is faced with another deeper crisis, the Committee advised the Finance Ministry to take effective steps immediately to remedy the situation in consultation with the Auditor General's Office.

The Committee, which had to deal with a large number of undiscussed Audit Reports accumulated over the last two decades due to intermittent functioning of parliament, decided to discuss recent Audit Reports simultaneously with the Audit Reports of 1987-88. In pursuance of tills decision, the Committee has already initiated discussion on the Audit Reports of 1994-95. the report pointed out.

It instructed all ministries to hold bipartite and tripartite meetings with Audit Directorate to expedite review of all Audit Reports prior to 1987.

A total of 138 Audit Objections and Comments made in the Audit Reports of 1994-95 and 1987-88 of 10 different ministries were discussed bv

the Standing Committee from its 11th to 20th meeting.

The Committee noted with satisfaction that in pursuance of the decisions taken at all the 20 meetings of the Committee on 266 Audit Objections and Comments, till now. about Tk. 50 crore had been recovered to the exchequer and Tk. 36 crore had been adjusted.

The C ommittee also requested the Auditor General to initiate a programme, named 'Performance Audit by the Year 2000', or any other programme of similar nature so that 'Performance Audit and Value for Money Audit' could be introduced along with conventional audit systems now in use in the country.