| Govt suspects Rs 8,000 Cr scam! | | | Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Apr 20: Even as the Jammu and Kashmir has been asked to discontinue grants to autonomous departments, which have brazenly violated financial norms meant for preventing frauds, the government suspects a whopping Rs 8,000 crore scam.
As per the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report tabled in recent Parliament session, the Jammu and Kashmir government has come under the scanner for having failed to submit the mandatory “Utilisation Certificates (UCs)” within the deadline as required for transparent flow of the funds totaling to around Rs 8,000 crore.
The CAG report observed that the non-submission of UCs suggests that the money was not properly utilized.
“Utilisation Certificates worth Rs 8,219.90 crore were outstanding as on March 31, 2019. Out of 1,774 outstanding UCs, 404 UCs amounting to Rs 2,246.91 crore were outstanding for more than one year and 548 UCs amounting to Rs 3,263.58 crore were outstanding for more than two years,” said the CAG report.
The report added that “Financial Rules provide that for the grants, Utilisation Certificates should be obtained by the departmental officers from the grantees and after verification these should be forwarded to the Accountant General (A&E) Jammu and Kashmir within 18 months from the date of their sanction, unless specified otherwise.”
The government agencies under scanner include the Education Department, the municipal corporations of Jammu and Srinagar and the SK University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, in the twin capitals of the Union Territory.
Sources said the government has taken a serious note of the alleged irregularities and looks ahead to order an inquiry.
“This is not a small issue but totals to over Rs eight thousand crore. It has has also pushed the future of students at stake through education department and the scientific universities (SKUAST),” said a senior official in the know of the matter.
He said the Raj Bhawan was set to call a high level meeting in this regard to decide future course of action. |
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