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| Spending - RDD style: Divert funds to buy vehicles, computers | | Department also failed to maintain employment registers since 2002-03 | | Early Times Reporter
Jammu | Feb 2
Officials of the Rural Development department have come under scanner in the Comptroller Auditor General Report for not sticking to the guidelines and diverting funds worth crores of rupees for carrying out works strictly prohibited in the Sampooran Gramin Rojgar Yojana(SGRY)
The CAG in its report ending March 2007 has stated that funds to the tune of Rs 1.24 crores received for SGRY programme by four ACD's and 20 BDO's during 2002-06 were diverted /utilised by them on activities not related to the programme like purchase of vehicles,computers,photostat machines, repairs of vehicles, office expenses etc.Records of seven blocks revealed that additional assistance of Rs 12.09 lakh received under Prime Ministers Special package during 2003-05 for implementation of various SGRY works was utilised during 2003-06 for carriage of foodgrains ,purchase of computers, generator sets,sets, repairs of vehicles.
The CAG report also noted that non-adherence to guidelines for implementation of the programme by the state government deprived people in 12 districts of the state of the central cash assistance of Rs 3.54 crore and 1500 tons of food grains. with possible loss in creation of an employment opportunity of 3.97 lakh mandays.
The CAG report has stated that the employment opportunities reported as having been generated from the programme were fictitious and not based on data worked out from muster rolls. The report added the figures of employment shown generated in the month/annual progress reports were arrived at tentatively by dividing the average wage component of the works(funds) with average labour rates. Report says that targets for employment generation were not fixed. Hence the state govt projected a figure of 281.63 lakh mandays generated through execution of programme works, for which a minimum of Rs 126.73 crore were paid between 2002-07.According to CAG report the test check of records of 27 blocks in five districts revealed that the requisite employment registers were not maintained since 2002-03.In the absence of these basic records ,audit could not vouchsafe the genuineness of th e number of persons engaged,mandays generated and whether benefits accrued to weaker sections of society like women and SC/ST.
As per the CAG report the food secuirty to rural poor was not ensured due to non maintenance of proper ratio between cash and food grains in the wage payments and short allocation of foodgrains in far flung areas because of high transportation cost.
The CAG report further adds that the objective of creating economic assets for sustainable employment was not achieved as against the requirement of Rs 3.89 crore to be spent on individual beneficiary group schemes for SC/ST, only one percent i.e Rs 3.68 lakh were spent during 2002-06.
According to the report the resources allocated for SC/ST’s in village panchayats for creation of need based infrastructure was not utilized fully. Against Rs 6.01 crore to be allocated only Rs 1.96 crore was spent in SC/ST areas during 2002-06. |
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