The data shared by the National Information Technology Board (NITB) exposed gross irregularities in the wheat seed subsidy program for Rabi 2022-23, amounting to Rs. 2,773.86 million.
The above anomalies detected by the Auditor General of Pakistan were, however, from the target and eligibility mismatches in data verified by the Government of Sindh.
The audit findings also included ” payments to ineligible beneficiaries like, Rs. 29.55 million given to 1,469 farmers, whose land GPS was not verified, Rs. 2675 million was given to 115,807 farmers only verified 16,459 GPS locations. Rs. 55.69 million was paid to farmers with overlapping household records. Rs. 13.615 billion paid to farmers outside Sindh. Payments to 21 individuals aged from 4 to 17 years, as per BISP records.
The subsidy was approved by the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) on 25 January 2023, directing Sindh to address the grievances on targeting and BISP to handle the payments. Yet, the audit observed that pre-audit checks ought to have been conducted by BISP in its capacity as the payment authority, a responsibility the organization denies, citing a limited role in the process of disbursement.
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During the DAC meeting on December 6, 2023, BISP clarified that it was not involved in the development of the Application Programming Interface (API) by NITB for data collection, and relied solely on information provided by Sindh authorities. However, the audit insisted that BISP was responsible for verifying the data before releasing funds.
The DAC specified that the Sindh government must address the discovered anomalies and further verify landholding records. It also insisted on procedural reforms for such irregularities to be avoided in future subsidization programs.