KUALA LUMPUR: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) will recall Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry after the proceedings on ST15 rice subsidy programme is finalised.
This is in regards to the absence of a standard operating procedure (SOP) and transparent distribution system on the subsidy programme.
PAC chairman Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed in a statement here yesterday said the programme began in 2008 with an allocation of RM400 million and last year alone, a total of RM500 million was allocated for 60,000 tonnes of subsidised rice.
“This programme requires a truly transparent and systematic SOP and distribution system to ensure that public fund is spent accordingly to achieve the objective of helping the underprivileged group in buying rice.
“We do not want people to think that the government spent people’s money to implement a subsidy programme which failed to achieve its objectives…so if the ST15 rice subsidy programme had really achieved its objectives, show us the proof,” he said.
Nur Jazlan said the management of the ST15 rice subsidy programme had been reported in the Auditor General’s Report of 2011 and PAC had directed the National Audit Department to re-audit all subsidy programmes under the Ministry of Agriculture, including the ST15 rice subsidy programme. — Bernama