Give priority in laying annual reports, audited accounts: Par Panel to AIIMS

Annual reports and audited accounts of AIIMS for 2014-15 and 2015-16 were delayed for seven months, a parliamentary panel said today, asking the Union Health Ministry and the premier institute to give "due priority" on tabling the documents in the house on time.

The Committee on Papers Laid on the Table (2017-18) in its 21st report on AIIMS, presented in Parliament, said if by any reason these documents could not be tabled within nine months of closure of their accounting years, the ministry should lay it within 30 days of the expiry of the prescribed period.

It also said the documents should accompany a statement explaining the reasons for the delay.

"The annual reports and audited accounts of AIIMS for the year 2014-15 and 2015-16 were delayed, ranging from the period of seven months and seven and a half months respectively," the committee, chaired by Chandrakant Khaire, said.

It said the reasons for the delay were mainly due to late receipt of consents of annual reports from English to Hindi, delay in tendering process, lack of technical experience of printing agency and the time taken by the printer in typesetting and final printing.

The committee said the reasons stated for the delay were not convincing as all these could have been taken care of at the initial stage had All India Institute Of Medical Sciences or the ministry been more "meticulous" in their planning.

Had the ministry or AIIMS taken proactive measures, the report could have been laid on the table of the house within the stipulated period, the committee noted.

"The committee urged AIIMS, New Delhi, and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to monitor and give priority to timely laying of documents," it said.