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| GoI forms committee to scrutinize edu schemes in JK | | Mismanagement in SSA | | Ishtiyaq Ahmad
Early Times Report
srinagar, Oct 8: In a significant development, the Centre has set up a committee to scrutinize Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and other centrally-sponsored educational schemes meant for J&K.
Early Times has learnt that in the wake of reports about mismanagement in execution of some schemes including the SSA in the state, the central government has set up a high level committee headed by a Secretary level officer to look into the central schemes and their implementations.
It has already been reported that the state Vigilance commission (SVC) investigating irregularities in construction of schools under SSA, had already found huge violation of norms in construction of buildings.
"Though the investigation is in its initial stage, but the commission has observed that there are scores of such buildings where violation in norms has taken place," sources had said.
Inspector General of Police, State Vigilance Organization, Alok Puri had also told Early Times that they had detected misappropriation worth lakhs of rupees in the SSA schemes.
Sources said that the MHRD ministry has asked the committee to look into all aspects of the matter.
Sources said that the many school buildings under the SSA, during the regime of NC-Congress were not completed. "The construction works were either left half way or they were not taken up at all".
The SSA aims at universalizing education at elementary level. The State's tardy progress in SSA had come under sharp criticism at the Public Accounts Board meeting for Jammu and Kashmir, held in New Delhi.
The meeting, had, revealed that while cumulative completion rate was only 43 percent, the expenditure booked was 96 percent. It brought to fore that only 5951 primary school buildings were constructed in the State under the program against the target of 10178 in the previous regime.
Similarly, out of 1119 upper primary school buildings, only 723 were completed and only 6239 additional classrooms were constructed against the target of 15354.
Besides, 6985 schools are building-less (without own buildings) in the State.
Sources said that the previous government had almost violated all the Codal and procedural formalities in the SSA Programme in Jammu and Kashmir while making the purchases and constructions across the state.
"A good number of school buildings and classrooms remained incomplete as the funds were either diverted for other purposes or had no account at all. There was zero monitoring of the residential bridge camps and alternate schools. An umpteen number of training sessions were held under the SSA but only few utilization certificates were submitted or advance utilization certificates were submitted at the year end to see release of funds unauthorizedly," one of the insiders of the school education department has said and added that the public money was looted in various other forms under the guise of SSA.
He said once the HRD ministry had frozen all the accounts of the SSA as the officials had failed to submit the report about the location and parking of the funds released by the centre.
Sources said that some contractors had also brazenly constructed building in violation of the original planning permits.
One of the state government official admitted that money for centrally sponsored scheme SSA was misused. "Unfortunately, we had to initiate enquiry into irregularities found in SSA functioning. Huge money was given for the welfare of poor children but the money was siphoned off in different way,'" the official maintained.
According to the official figures available with the Early Times, in 2009-10 the central government has released Rs 37,363.27 whereas the state government has released Rs 18,051.00 in which Rs 54,869.73 was utilized by the SSA.
In the year 2010-11 the central government has released Rs 40,358.79 and the state government has released Rs 45,914.00, and Rs 8,000.00 has been received under 13th finance commission in which the SSA officials utilized Rs 64,000.94. cr In the year 2011-12 the central government has released Rs 30,070.51 and the state government has released Rs 39,600.00, and Rs 8500 has been received under 13th finance commission in which Rs 104,722.28 cr was utilized by the SSA unit of Jammu and Kashmir. |
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