PANJIM: The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has slammed the State government for its lack of response to the pendency of large number of audit and inspection reports, involving whopping Rs 717 crore, pertaining to “serious financial irregularities”.
The CAG conducts periodical inspections of the government departments to test check the transactions and verify the maintenance of important accounts and other records as prescribed in the Rules and procedures. These inspections are followed by the Inspection Reports (IRs) which incorporate irregularities detected during the inspection and non-settled on the spot.
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As per CAG report ending March 31, 2019, tabled in the recently concluded Assembly Session, upto June 2019, 933 observations involving Rs 717.56 crore relating to 218 IRs remained outstanding.
The IRs which stood at 151, involving Rs 401.62 crore in June 2017, increased to 212 IRs with total amount involved in it was Rs 557.62 crore. “Serious financial irregularities are reported to the Heads of the Departments and the Government,” CAG said.
The State’s Finance Department tops the chart with 104 IRs pending. The total amount involved is Rs 461.24 crore, under commercial taxes only.
This is followed by the Registration Department, wherein the audit report on Stamp Duty and Registration Fee, shows non-compliance of IRs to the tune of Rs 179.08 crore. Transport Department has another Rs 69.63 crore financial irregularities, which are not responded to. “Audit did not receive the first replies from the Heads of Offices within four weeks from the date of issue of the IRs upto December 2018,” CAG said.
“This indicated that the heads of offices or departments did not initiate action to rectify the defects, omissions and irregularities pointed out by the Auditor General in the IRs,” it added.
“The Heads of the Offices or the government are required to promptly respond to the observations contained in the IRs and rectify the defects and omissions,” it added.
