The Public Accounts Committee on Monday upbraided the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) over its slothful approach in the submission of its 2022 financial statement to the Auditor General’s office and the poor management of regional offices that were created to decentralise services.
Opposition Member Ganesh Mahipaul, who opened up the line of questioning during the committee’s scrutiny of the 2019 Auditor General’s report on Ministry of Agriculture, asked what factors contributed to the delays in the report not being submitted on time.
NDIA Chief Executive Officer (Ag), Dave Hicks, in response told the committee that the main reason was the fact that they are stretched thin by operating in all the regions across the country. He noted that in preparation of the financial statement, they are required to conduct physical verification of the machinery and assets they have to include in the report. This is time consuming, he noted.
