Shillong, Jan 14: The total revenue receipt of the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council decreased by 49 per cent from Rs 127.85 crore in 2017-18 to Rs 64.66 crore during 2018-19, according to a report by Comptroller and Auditor General of India.
In the report, the fall in revenue receipts during 2018-19 was primarily due to 69 per cent decrease in grants-in-aid and 68 per cent reduction in share of royalty on mines and minerals, said the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) in its report.
It said that the significant decline in grants-in-aid was on account of non-release of grants to excluded areas/Part IX &IX A of the Constitution of India by the Centre.
Similarly, reduction in share of royalty on mines and minerals was due to non-receipt of the share of royalty (minor minerals) for the year 2018-19.
The report also pointed out that the council’s share of royalty is based on the total yearly collection by the state government and as such the council has no role in collection.
During 2018-19, the share of grants-in-aid (Rs 9.95 crore), royalty on mines & minerals (Rs 22.72 crore) and share of taxes on vehicles (Rs 12.74 crore) constituted 70 per cent of total revenue receipts (Rs 64.66 crore) of the KHADC.
“As such, KHADC is primarily dependent on external sources of funds (70 per cent) as against its own sources of funds (30 per cent),” it said.
Further, the CAG said that the Revenue expenditure of KHADC increased by 27 per cent from Rs 45.95 crore in 2017-18 to Rs 58.58 crore in 2018-19.
The increase in revenue expenditure during 2018-19 was primarily due to increase in expenditure on salaries and office expenses under secretariat general services from Rs 18.39 crore in 2017-18 to Rs 22.75 crore in 2018-19 (24 per cent) and forests from Rs 4.83 crore in 2017-18 to Rs 7.35 crore in 2018-19 (52 per cent), it said.
During 2018-19, secretariat general services (39 per cent), forest (13 per cent) and public works (8 per cent) together accounted for 60 per cent of the revenue expenditure leaving a small percentage for other heads of expenditure including important heads such as land revenue, arts & culture and public health sanitation and water supply.
