PORVORIM: The total outstanding debt of Goa government at the end of March 2023 stood at Rs 31,104 crore, according to Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) report 2023, which was tabled in the State Assembly on August 7, 2024.
The CAG also observed that total committed expenditure showed an increasing trend during 2018-23. During 2022-23, the committed expenditure constituted 52 per cent of revenue expenditure (highest during the five-year period 2018-23).
The committed expenditure of the State government on revenue account mainly consists of interest payments, expenditure on salaries and wages, and pensions.
The CAG pointed out that the State government incurred an expenditure of Rs 14.03 crore without any budget provision under three grants. This was in violation of Article 204 of the Constitution, which lays down that no money shall be withdrawn from the Consolidated Fund, except under appropriation made by law by the State Legislature.
At the end of the financial year, 25.07 per cent of the total budgetary provision remained unutilised. Supplementary provisions, constituting 7.76 per cent of the original budget, made during the year proved unnecessary, as savings were significantly higher than the supplemtary provisions.
The audit scrutiny also revealed that 11,705 Utilisation Certificates in respect of Grants-in-aid aggregating Rs 2,546.40 crore given to 24 departments of the State government had not been submitted as on March 31, 2023.
It also noted that the total expenditure (revenue expenditure, capital expenditure and loans and advances) of the State increased from Rs 16,912 crore in 2021-22 to Rs 18,313 crore, registering an increase of 8.28 per cent over the previous year.
