Guidelines for 3rd Party Audit, CAG instructions to be followed
Chairman JKIDFC to obtain monthly reports through DDCs
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Sept 30: As large number of projects under Languishing Funding Scheme are going to be completed by the end of current year, the Financial Commissioner, Finance Department has constituted district-level teams for physical and financial audit of such projects with the direction to furnish monthly reports through the District Development Commissioner.
EXCELSIOR had laid thrust on this vital aspect in the edition dated August 17, 2019 while highlighting slackness on the part of panel of three senior bureaucrats in framing robust policy/plan for concurrent audit of the projects approved under Languishing Funding Scheme.
The necessity of concurrent audit of the projects was thoroughly debated in the 4th meeting of the Board of Directors of the Jammu and Kashmir Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation Limited held on June 17, 2019 and task of framing policy was assigned to Administrative Secretaries of the Power Development, Roads and Buildings and PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control Departments, who are also the members of the Board of the Corporation.
Now, Financial Commissioner Finance Department, Dr Arun Kumar Mehta, who is also Chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation, has constituted “Concurrent Audit Team” in each district under the overall control and supervision of District Development Commissioner.
The Concurrent Audit Teams will have the mandate to conduct physical and financial audit of all the projects being implemented under “Languishing Scheme” funded by the Jammu and Kashmir Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation Ltd within the respective districts.
In order to ensure that there is no slackness in performing the assigned duties, each and every district-level team has been asked to furnish monthly audit report of projects being implemented in their respective districts through the District Development Commissioner to the Chairman of the Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation Limited.
Additional District Development Commissioner (ADDC) in each district is the Chairman of the Concurrent Audit Team while as Assistant Engineer each from PWD, PHE and PDD, Accounts Officer, Audit and Inspection, Assistant Director, Economics and Statistics, Junior Engineers from PWD, PHE and PDD and Chartered Account are the members of the each team. The Chartered Accountant for each team shall be provided by the Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation.
“The staff from respective engineering wings shall be provided by the respective departments by way of internal arrangements within each district, Accounts Officer from Audit and Inspection Department and Assistant Director from Economics and Statistics Organization”, read the order issued by the Financial Commissioner, Finance Department.
The guidelines framed by the Public Works (R&B) Department for 3rd Party Audit and the instructions issued by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India from time to time will be followed by the Concurrent Audit Teams, which will be provided necessary logistics and training in each district by the Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation.
All the District Development Commissioners have been asked to furnish list of officers deputed in the Concurrent Audit Teams so that training to the team members is imparted at the earliest.
It is pertinent to mention here that Comptroller and Auditor General of India in its numerous reports has laid stress on audit of almost all the projects of the important sectors so that corrective measures are initiated well in time and targeted population is benefitted.
“The practice of concurrent financial and physical audit of the projects should not remain confined to the Languishing Funding Scheme and it should be extended to all the projects”, official sources stressed, adding “though announcements about 3rd Party Audit of the projects were made a number of times but no seriousness was shown towards the same by majority of the departments”.
It is pertinent to mention here that a total of 1717 projects are targeted to be completed by the end of current year, which include 168 of Power Development Department, 300 of Public Works (R&B) Department, 700 of Public Health Engineering and Irrigation and Flood Control Departments, six of Tourism Department, 62 of Ladakh Affairs, 65 of Youth Services and Sports Department, two of Horticulture Department, 79 of Industries and Commerce Department, eight of Agriculture Department, 103 of Health and Medical Education Department, 5 of Higher Education, one each of Revenue and Animal and Sheep Husbandry Departments, 73 of Rural Development Department, 111 of School Education, 26 of Housing and Urban Development, 6 of Tribal Affairs Department and 13 of Technical Education Department.
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