Omar wants PAO system implemented in J&K

Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday sought the intervention of the Prime Minister's Office and the Union Finance Ministry to have the Pay and Accounts Office (PAO) system implemented in Jammu and Kashmir after it was put on hold a day ago.

Syed Altaf Bukhari, the new Finance Minister, on Tuesday ordered to put on hold the implementation of the PAO system till March 31.

Reacting to this decision, Abdullah sought the central government's intervention.

"@PMOIndia and @FinMinIndia need to take a long, hard look at the reasons behind the sudden and arbitrary reversal of the PAO system that had been introduced in Jammu and Kashmir," the National Conference leader said in a tweet.

In another post on his widely followed Twitter handle, Abdullah chided the PDP-BJP ruling coalition for hyping the PAO system as a novelty that would dispense with the centuries old treasury system in the state.

"For three years the state legislature was told that this reform would be a major step towards transparent use of funds.

"A measure approved by legislative vote has been overturned by a mere government order," Abdullah said.

Envisaged and championed by the state's former Finance Minister Haseeb Drabu who was sacked by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Monday, Drabu's successor, Syed Ali Bukhari ordered on Tuesday that the system be put on hold till March 31.

--IANS

sq/in/bg