DHAKA, Jan 17, 2023 (BSS) - The 'Public Service Amendment Bill-2023' was 
placed in parliament today keeping the provision of seeking approval of the 
Finance Ministry to expense public fund for the autonomous, legislative and 
local government bodies.

The bill, placed by the State Minister for Public Administration Farhad 
Hossain, was later sent to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the 
Ministry of Public Administration for further scrutiny and submit a report 
within 30 days.

The state minister said that the proposed law will be enacted through 
amending the 'Public Service Act, 2018' while placing the bill.

"According to the Public Service Act, 2018, Finance Ministry is the financial 
authority for all government institutions and authorities and their officials 
and employees. However, a matter was not cleared in the Public Service Act, 
2018, that the provision would be followed for the autonomous, legislative 
and local government bodies including the Anti-Corruption Commission or not", 
according to the draft of the proposed law.

"The provision was cleared with the Amended Draft Bill. The Finance Ministry 
has raised the matter. They claimed that all these bodies usually meet up 
their expenditures from public fund. So, there should be the authority of the 
Finance Ministry which was given the authority by amending the law," it said, 
adding: "It's said in the Constitution that all expenditure of the state 
would be met up from a unique account, which is known as 'Treasury'. Finance 
Ministry is the authority of the treasury."

"As the authority of the treasury, the Finance Ministry must have the 
authority in case of expenditures. Any corporation or local government body 
cannot fix up the expenditures or salary structures of their employees 
itself. To fix up the issues, the approval of the Finance Ministry must have 
to be taken. The amended draft ensured the provision," according to the 
proposed law.
 
The provision of taking the approval of the Finance Ministry was mandatory 
before promulgation of the Public Service Act. "But, it was now given a legal 
compulsion."

Explaining the provision, the proposed law said that the public universities, 
the Election Commission, or local bodies like city corporations and union 
parishads will have to take opinions of the Finance Division over their 
financial expenditures. "So, the Finance Division will have to say," it 
further added.