| How Mehbooba pushed Panchayati Raj into shambles | | Unplanned execution of works, delayed funds disbursement marred Three-Tier System | | Early Times Report
jammu, Mar 27: The Panchayat Raj system of governance was left in shambles by the past PDP led dispensation in Jammu and Kashmir with financial irregularities and mismanagement becoming major causes for such a tier of governance to succeed in the erstwhile state at large.
Official documents in possession of Early Times newspaper reveal that under 14th Finance Commission (FC) Award for the period 2015 to 2016, funds were credited to the Bank Accounts of the Panchayats in two instalments in February 2016 and in the month of February 2017 for execution of development works. The Block Development Officers were required to prepare Works Plan as per the funds provided under the scheme.
Documents however revealed that in the case of 15 Block Development Officers (1. BDO, Bhalwal; 2. BDO, Bhomag; 3. BDO, Kalakote; 4. BDO, Panthal; 5. BDO, Vessu; 6. BDO, Pahalgam; 7. BDO, Chattergul; 8. BDO, Verinag; 9. BDO, Quazigund; 10. BDO, Larnoo; 11. BDO, Anantnag; 12. BDO, Shangus; 13. BDO, Khoveri Proa; 14. BDO, Shahabad; and 15 BDO, Boniyar), the estimated cost of planned works in the works plan was 20 per cent lesser than the funds allocated for the year 2015-16. Preparation and submission of works plan for an amount less than the funds allocated, resulted in an amount of Rs 5.07 crore not being utilised and were lying in the Bank Accounts of the respective Panchayats.
Furthermore, only 1,902 works out of 2,459 works planned in 34 sampled Rural Development Blocks, had been completed upto March 2019. Delay/ non-execution of works led to Rs 12.51 crore for execution of 557 developmental works remaining unutilised in the Bank Accounts for the more than three years.
Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY), a centrally sponsored scheme, was restructured as Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Gramin (PMAY-G) in the year 2016-17 and the disbursement of assistance to the beneficiaries at the block level was changed to a centralised payment disbursement system by adopting of Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). Audit noticed (February 2019) that 17 DDOs of Rural Development Department had retained the unspent IAY funds amounting to Rs 1.32 crore (1. Assistant Commissioner Development (ACD), Jammu: 1 Account, Rs 7.92 lakh; 2. ACD, Rajouri: 2 Accounts, Rs 2.87 lakh; 3. BDO, Maira Mandrian: 02 Accounts, Rs 0.54 lakh; 4. BDO, Achabal: 1 Account, Rs 0.01 lakh; 5. BDO, Breng: 02 Accounts, Rs 0.391 lakh; 6. BDO, Shangus: 1 Account, Rs 7.32 lakh; 7. BDO, Anantnag: 02 Accounts, Rs 98.68 lakh; 8. BDO, Bijbehara: 1 Account, Rs 0.13 lakh; 9. ACD, Kargil: 2 Accounts, Rs 2.58 lakh; 10. BDO, Kargil: 01 Account, Rs 0.23 lakh; 11. BDO, TSG Tespool: 1 Account, Rs 0.007 lakh; 12. BDO, Phalagam: 01 Account, Rs 0.07 lakh; 13. BDO, Dachnipora: 1 Account, Rs 0.21 lakh; 14. ACD, Baramulla: 1 Account, Rs 9.35 lakh; 15. BDO, Sankoo: 01 Account, Rs 1.08 lakh; 16. BDO, Pashkum: 1 Account, Rs 0.04 lakh; 17. BDO, Kunzer: 1 Account, Rs 0.09 lakh.) in 22 bank accounts after the closure of the scheme in 2016-17 which under the scheme was required to be utilised by allocating the unspent amount among existing beneficiaries for completion of the houses. |
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