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| Omar showered bounties on 3 private schools in Kashmir, Ladakh: CAG | | ‘Jammu did not even get peanuts’ | | Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, June 20: The Omar led coalition government benefitted some influential schools in Kashmir by unduly showering millions as aid on them at the cost of Jammu. This is what the report from the prestigious Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has revealed.
As per the CAG, last year the then National Conference led government diverted Rs 1.73 crore special plan assistance from Centre for state-run schools to three private educational institutions in Kashmir and Ladakh regions resulting in "mis-utilisation" of funds.
"The payment of unjustified cash assistance to (three) private schools from out of special plan assistance from Government of India for improvement and upgradation of infrastructure in government schools resulted in misutilisation of Rs 1.73 crores," Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India for the year ended March 31, 2014 revealed.
Rs one crore was disbursed to Tyndale Biscoe School Tangmarg (Baramulla district), Rs ten lakh to Good Shepherd School Pulwama and Rs 63 lakh to Islamia Public School Leh.
Ironically, the then Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand of Congress, who was also the Education Minister, allowed this injustice with Jammu, the region he represented in the state Assembly.
Tara even pleaded the injustice before the CAG. The then government in its reply dated May 2014 said that assistance was provided to these two private schools in Kashmir as their buildings were gutted by a mob during turmoil of 2010.
The CAG said that the audit scrutiny (December 2011) of the records of the education department showed that the action plans for Rs 60 crore (out of a total Rs 100 crore special assistance plan) inter alia included provision of assistance to the tune of Rs 2.03 crores for reconstruction of three private schools.
A total assistance of Rs 1.73 crores from out of the approved assistance of Rs 2.03 crores was disbursed to these private institutions during March 2011 to May 2012, it said.
As per the audit, Tyndale Biscoe School apart from getting assistance of Rs one crore on July 2011 in FDRs, the school had also raised an insurance claim of Rs 1.29 crores on March 2012, it said.
The CAG report said that the school was also provided 25 pre-fabricated huts under disaster management programme of the state and school continues to be housed in these huts as on November 2013.
Good Shepherd School was paid cash assistance of Rs ten lakh without carrying proper survey of damage, it said adding that the school was shifted to another place after the disturbance and had not returned to its old location.
In respect of the third beneficiary, Islamia Public School Leh, the CAG report said it was seen that the area in which school falls was free from any turmoil.
The CAG report said "the payment of grant of aid was in contravention to the statement of Joint Director Planning of School Education Department and stated that grant was paid to these schools due to heavy damage to them during turmoil".
The CAG further said that there was nothing on record to suggest that a representative of the government had monitored proper utilisation of funds on the construction of school buildings by respective school managements.
Thus, the payment of assistance meant for the government schools was given to private schools and subsequently non-monitoring of utilisation thereof resulted in misutilisation of Rs 1.73 crores and undue benefit to the recipients of private schools.
Talking to Early Times senior officials said Jammu schools were completely ignored by the previous regime. "The revelation made by the CAG is tip of the ice-berg to expose how the previous regime victimized Jammu," said a senior official in the Education Department.
He said the government was probing more of irregularities and that such cases were likely to be handed over the Crime Branch. |
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