Thinley Namgay 

Out of the Nu 2,051.23 million (M) financial irregularities reflected in the 2020 audit report, Nu 682M has been recovered, according to the Public Accounts Committee’s (PAC) chairperson Ugyen Tshering.

The National Council (NC) member from Paro, Ugyen Tshering, stated the above yesterday during a press conference on the upcoming 28th NC session.

He said the main problem regarding the irregularities was between the Royal Audit Authority (RAA) and the concerned agencies. “There is minimal coordination and communication between the RAA and the concerned agencies.”

“The communication gap has prolonged the irregularities. The PAC has also stressed that the head of the particular agencies should be accountable for irregularities hereafter,” Ugyen Tshering said.

The NC session will commence on November 26 and conclude on December 24.

NC will deliberate and adopt the Anti-Corruption Commission (Amendment) Bill of Bhutan 2021, the United Nations Convention Against Corruption Amendment, and Preferential Trade Agreement between Bhutan and Bangladesh.

NC will also deliberate and adopt the review reports on consolidation, repeal, and publication of legislations, the Civil Liability Bill, suicide and mental health issues in Bhutan, and state-owned enterprises. There will also be deliberation on the Civil Society Organisations (Amendment) Bill.

The house will deliberate and adopt the Fiscal Incentives Bill of Bhutan 2021, Customs Duty (Amendment) Bill of Bhutan 2021, Tax (Amendment) Bill of Bhutan 2021, and the Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill of Bhutan 2021.

During the joint sitting of Parliament, there will be deliberation on the reports of the PAC on the audit report 2020 of the RAA, audit reports from 2010-2019, performance audit reports on in-country travels, and implementation of a national broadband fibre-optic network.