CAG report 2018-19
Shillong, Jan 7: Twenty-six elected members of the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) failed to provide details on implementation of a welfare programme for BPL families, as per a report of Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) for the year ended March 31, 2019.
The Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) implemented the Council Scheme on Special Town and Rural Welfare Programme with an objective to providing assistance to BPL families facing acute difficulties.
As per the scheme, the funds shall be released directly to the MDCs who would be responsible for judicious utilisation of the funds in a transparent manner.
The MDCs were also mandated to submit the utilisation certificates (UCs) within six months from the date of release of the funds.
In this case, the KHADC during 2018-19 sanctioned ₹182 lakh as grant-in-aid to its members – ₹4 lakh each to 7 MDCs, ₹6 lakh each to 7 MDCs, and ₹8 lakh each to 14 MDCs – under Special Town and Rural Welfare Programme with the stipulation that UCs be submitted within six months.
₹24 lakh was released on 12 April 2018 and ₹158 lakh released on 15 January 2019 as grants under the programme.
Only two MDCs submitted the supporting vouchers and UCs for ₹14 lakh, the CAG said.
The remaining 26 MDCs failed to provide the details.
“In the absence of necessary vouchers evidencing proper utilisation of grants, the veracity of expenditure of ₹168 lakh incurred out of the Council’s fund could not be vouchsafed by Audit,” the CAG report said.
Even after the then Executive Committee (EC) issued to the MDCs, they failed to submit the necessary UCs, it said.
