Unsettled accounts related to ex-Maoist combatant cannot be settled: Secretary

Secretary at the Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction said that the arrears and unsettled accounts related to ex-Maoist combatant could not be cleared.

Speaking at a meeting of the Unsettled Accounts Clearance Committee meeting here today, the secretary Dhan Bahadur Tamang said that the unsettled accounts of the ex-Maoist combatant and resettlement would be difficult to settle.

The government had allocated a total of Rs 20 billion for the resettlement and rehabilitation of ex-UCPN Maoist combatant but the part itself has been involved in the financial indiscipline, according to the ex-Maoist combatant. The case has also been filed at the anti-graft watch dog, but it has not moved forward.

Finance secretary, who is also the coordinator of the committee, asked the secretaries not to increase any more unsettled accounts, and settle the old ones. The Office of the Auditor General has been asking the government to hold the respective ministers and secretaries responsible for the increasing unsettled accounts.

"Though the commitment to settle the accounts is a welcome step, it has to be settled through practical ways," he said adding that the committee has directed all the ministries to at least reduce unsettled accounts to half, if not settle completely.

"Though the unsettled accounts of the current fiscal year dropped to 13.5 per cent, the accumulated unsettled accounts have to be settled soon," said energy minister and a member of settlement committee Umakanta Jha, on the occasion.

Likewise, another committee member and agriculture minister Tek Bahadur Gharti urged to continue the momentum of the current pace of settlement.

The secretaries, on the occasion, sought help of the committee to settle the unsettled accounts as some of the accounts could not be settled by a single ministry. "The departments under the ministries are responsible to increase unsettled accounts," they said, briefing progress of their respective ministries.

Though, unsettled accounts always may not mean financial indiscipline, the settlement of accounts is important according to law and also to be accountable to the general people, who are the paid tax from their hard earned money.

According to the latest report, the government has settled almost half to Rs 20.93 billion, out of the total Rs 45.19 billion unsettled accounts. The settlement is some 46.33 per cent.

The government had formed a three-member committee to solve the problems of unsettled accounts led by finance minister. The secretary at the Office of Prime Minister Krishna Hari Baskota is the member secretary of the committee.

Baskota, on the occasion, advised to form a committee under every ministry to settle the unsettled accounts.