Govt picks 57 private companies for audit; panchayats cry foul

Ignoring the opposition by panchayat heads over the decision of the state government to hire registered firms of chartered accountants to conduct physical verification of all village panchayat records, the rural development and panchayat department has identified 57 private firms for the work.

Ignoring the opposition by panchayat heads over the decision of the state government to hire registered firms of chartered accountants to conduct physical verification of all village panchayat records, the rural development and panchayat department has identified 57 private firms for the work. The department has been facing criticism for its move to hand over audit work to private firms.

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The Punjab state panchayat union has threatened to resign if the government fails to withdraw its orders by September 18 when a meeting has been scheduled in Chandigarh with the chief minister to discuss the issue.

HT has a copy of the letter of the department addressed to all additional deputy commissioners (development) and district development and panchayat officers (DDPOs) informing them about selection of 57 private firms. The firms have been identified from Ferozepur, Amritsar, Bathinda, Chandigarh, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Pathankot, New Delhi, Mansa, Moga, Panchkula and Gurgaon.