CAG flays Odisha govt for inefficiency, lack of transparency in using Central funds

Sambad English Bureau Published On : Jun 24, 2014 at 10:28 AM Updated On : Jun 24, 2014 at 10:31 AM

Reported by Sandeep Pattnaik
Bhubaneswar, June 24:

The Comptroller and Auditor General [CAG] has come down heavily on the Odisha government for its failure to monitor huge funds meant for different flagship schemes and for not having uniform accounting or discipline in accounting procedure.

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The report further revealed that, State Government’s compliance with various rules, procedures and directives relating to the utilisation of funds were unsatisfactory. It was evident from delays in furnishing Utilisation Certificates (UCs) against the grants from various grantee institutions and issue of inaccurate UCs, the report observed.

Besides, cases of misappropriation, losses and defalcations were pending for settlement for long in many of the departments of State Government despite the same being pointed out regularly in earlier audit Reports, the report revealed.

“There is no single agency monitoring the use of these funds and no data is readily available on the amounts spent in any particular year on major flagship and other important schemes,” the report on the Annual Accounts of the State Government for the financial year [FY] ending March 2013 released by the office of the Accountant General [AG] on Monday revealed.

The report further said that the Union government transfer substantial amount of grants-in-aid to various State Implementing Agencies for execution of different schemes, but there is no monitoring mechanism on the spending of these funds.

“On the other hand, lack of uniform accounting practices, proper documentation and timely reporting of expenditure by all these agencies, made it quite difficult to monitor the end use of these direct transfers,” the report said.

“The state government has to put in place an appropriate mechanism to ensure proper accounting of these funds,” the CAG report suggested.

Besides, inadequate utilization of funds due to non implementation of the schemes has also led to less requirement of funds and resulted an increase in overall savings to the tune of Rs 9335.72 crore, which has remained idle. This included huge savings of Rs 5358.49 crore in six cases under five grants and one appropriation exceeding `Rs 100 crore in each case.

“There were instances of savings exceeding Rs 10 crore in 19 cases relating to 16 grants and one appropriation during 2008-13,” the CAG report revealed.

Besides, excess expenditure and expenditure without provision of funds, unnecessary/excessive supplementary provision, substantial surrenders, non-surrender of anticipated savings during the current year and rush of expenditure during the last month of the financial year has been qualified in the CAG report for FY 2012-13.

The Chief Controlling Officers did not submit detailed contingent bills against the advances drawn on Abstract Contingent (AC) Bills of Rs 52.96 crore for up to nine years as of Rs 31 March, 2013. The CAG has underscored the need for a rigorous monitoring mechanism needs to be put -in place by the Drawing and Disbursing Officers (DDOs) to adjust AC Bills in time and not to advance further amounts without adjustment of earlier advances, the report suggested.