Kathmandu, June 12:

The Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) today held discussions with officials of 10 ministries that have the highest account of unaudited expenditure.

The Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee asked the officials of the ministries — including the ministries of finance, education, water resources,information and communications, physical planning and works and local development — to furnish explanations on why the anaudited accounts are increasing.

The ministries have unaudited accounts amounting to over Rs 2 billion.

The secretaries of the ministries told the committe members that they would launch programmes to minimise anaudited expenditure.

Finance Minister Dr Ram Sharan Mahat, Information and Communication Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara, Education Minister Pradip Nepal, Minister for Physical Planning and Works Hishila Yami and Water Resources Minister Gyanendra Bahadur Karki were present in the meeting.

Chief Secretary Bhoj Raj Ghimire said the government has formed a policy to award officials who work to check such unaudited expenditure and punish those who do not.