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| SSA purchases computers worth crores without following codal procedure | | | Bashir Assad
SRINAGAR, May 12: Throwing norms into winds, project head of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) has purchased computers for Rs 11 crores on March 31, the last day of the previous fiscal (2011- 12) without completing the codal formalities.
Sources in the Education Department told Early Times that there was a big scam in the purchase of computers by the Project Director SSA, Yasha Mudgal but surprisingly all the top officials of the department have maintained absolute silence on the whole issue who are trying hard to wash off their hands while fearing that the scam may surface once information is sought from the department under Right to Information Act 2009. However, sources disclosed that a scam has taken place in the whole process of purchasing the computers for which codal formalities were not completed. Sources also disclosed the Director SSA played a major role in the whole scandal. "Misappropriation to the tune of crores of rupees and gross discrepancies in Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), a flagship scheme of Government of India aimed at universalisation of elementary education in a time bound manner has definitely taken place" sources said.
SSA is being implemented in partnership with State Governments to address needs of 192 million children. The programme seeks to open new schools in those habitations which do not have schooling facilities and strengthen existing school infrastructure through provision of additional class rooms, toilets, drinking water, maintenance of grant and school improvement grants, however, purchasing computers worth Rs 11 crores on the last day of the previous fiscal that too without floating tenders and completing other codal procedures has raised eyebrows from certain quarters.
"The scandal should be thoroughly probed as it seems to be one of the major scams of last fiscal" sources opined. It merits a mention here the latest Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report has pulled up the State Government for poor performance as for the implementation of Centrally sponsored SSA that according to the report has thought it better to keep the money in the banks rather than releasing the same in time so that they could be utilized in what they were sanctioned for. The report was tabled in the State Assembly during the last budget session in March this year. And this was perhaps in this backdrop that Project Director SSA this time thought it better to go for purchasing without fulfilling the procedural formalities on March 3, 2012.
Though the practice of purchasing at the end of fiscal is not new in Jammu and Kashmir owing to the failure of the Government to utilize the funds under plan and Centrally Sponsored Schemes, however, purchasing computers to the tune of 11 crores by project head SSA is totally unjustified because the funds meant for replacement of school equipments and for providing basic learning facilities cannot be spend on purchase of huge consignment of computers. |
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