Shillong, Sept 2: In what can be a sign of major lacunae plaguing Meghalaya’s administrative machinery, the state government as of March 31, 2023 failed to submit utilisation certificates (UCs) of its various projects and schemes worth a whooping Rs 3,436 crore.
“Despite requirement of submitting UCs against conditional grants within a stipulated time period, 454 outstanding UCs of Rs 3,436.01 crore were pending as of March 31, 2023,” stated in the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report tabled in the just-concluded assembly session.
The report said during 2022-23, 726 UCs amounting to Rs 4,459.58 crore, including 307 UCs (Rs 2,373.51 crore), overdue from previous years were outstanding.
Of this, only 37.46 percent (272 UCs – Rs 1,023.57 crore) were submitted.
Further, 14 UCs amounting to Rs 1.28 crore for grants disbursed in 2022-23, which will become due in 2023-24, were also submitted in 2022-23.
Thus, the total 286 UCs amounting Rs 1,024.85 crore were submitted.
“As of March 31, 2023, 454 UCs amounting Rs 3,436.01 crore remained outstanding. This is 47.88 percent over the last year in terms of the number of UCs and 44.76 percent more than the last year in terms in amount of the outstanding UCs,” the report said while adding that total of 1,060 UCs amounting to Rs 7,460.84 crore, including 454 overdue UCs – Rs 3,436.01 crore are yet to be disposed of as on March 31, 2023.
It further stated that major defaulting departments which have not submitted UCs and their percentage out of total outstanding amount under Grants-in-Aid are Community and Rural Development Department (Rs 1,396.93 crore, 40.63 percent), Health and Family Welfare department (Rs 783.55 crore , 22.80 percent), Education department (Rs 443.00 crore, 12.89 percent) and Welfare of SC/ST, OBC & Minorities department (Rs 210.58 crore, 6.13 percent).
“In the absence of UCs, it could not be ascertained whether the recipients had actually utilized the grants and whether it had been utilized for the purposes for which the grants were disbursed,” the CAG said.
“Further, in the absence of UCs required to be submitted by the departments, assessing the status and progress of the scheme’s implementation, for which funds have been disbursed, is not feasible.
The substantial backlog in the submission of UCs poses a significant risk of potential fraud and misappropriation of funds,” it stated.
Further, the CAG recommended that the state government needs to monitor this aspect closely and may review disbursement of further Grants to the grantees that are not in compliance to prescribed conditions and timelines with respect to furnishing of UCs to the finance department as well as principal accountants general (A&E)
