PORVORIM: A huge amount of Rs 2178.23 crore grants paid to the State government remained unutilised upto June 2017, with State failing to submit the Utilization Certificates (UCs), hinting at possible misappropriation and fraud.
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) in its report ending March 2017, tabled before the State Legislative Assembly has said that of the total 13,123 UCs due in respect of grants aggregating Rs 2,286.88 crore paid up to 2015-16, 97 per cent of the UCs were outstanding as on June 30, 2017.
Total 12,789 UCs for an aggregate amount of Rs 2,178.23 crore were pending. “Of the total 12,789 UCs, 6,177 UCs involving Rs 1,638.46 crore were pending for periods ranging from one to five years while 6,612 UCs involving Rs 539.77 crore were pending for more than five years,” CAG said.
“High pendency of UCs was fraught with the risk of misappropriation and fraud,” CAG observed.
Major cases of non-submission of UCs mainly pertained to Directorate of Art and Culture, which are 4,453 involving amount of Rs 260.84 crore, followed by Director of Panchayat North with 2,824 UCs with amount of Rs 352.80 crore, Panchayat Department south with 1848 UCs having an amount of Rs 56.03 crore.
There are another 495 UCs pending of Directorate of Sports and Youth Affairs involving an amount of Rs 209.19 crore and Directorate of Health Services with 62 UC and amount of Rs 269.27 crore.
The Directorate of Municipal Administration has also failed to submit 528 UCs amounting to Rs 329.03 crore and Director Education with 902 UCs aggregating to Rs 153.99 crore.
“Rule 212 of the General Financial Rules, 2005, provide that for grants provided for specific purposes, UCs should be obtained by the departmental officers from the grantees,” CAG said.
The certificates so obtained are to be verified by the departmental officers and forwarded to the Director of Accounts within 12 months from the date of their sanction.
