Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, Mar 14: A large number of irregularities have surfaced in providing financial assistance to the people by Rural Development Department in the State for construction of houses under Indira Awaas Yojna (IAY) for the families living under BPL category.
Out of 45,899 beneficiaries whom the Department has sanctioned the financial assistance under IAY during the period 2008 to 2013, 30,998 families were found ineligible. This was revealed by CAG in its report which was tabled in State Assembly recently.
As per 2002 BPL census, there was only a shortage of 14901 houses in the State, but the RDD has sanctioned the assistance to 45,899 families, the report revealed.
The report further pointed out that inadmissible financial assistance of Rs 21.22 crore was paid in 7,589 cases due to wrong selection of beneficiaries during the period. In addition to it the RDD has made an excess payment of Rs 7.04 crore to 3782 beneficiaries by releasing financial assistance at enhanced and inadmissible rates.
It may be recalled that IAY a Centrally sponsored scheme is meant for construction or up gradation of dwelling units for the target groups who are falling under BPL category living in rural areas and belonging to SC/ST communities, freed bounded labourers, non SC /ST BPL rural households, widows, next of kin of defense personnel/ paramilitary forces killed in action residing in rural areas (irrespective of their income criteria), ex servicemen and retired member of paramilitary forces fulfilling the other conditions.
The scheme is funded on cost sharing basis between GoI and State Government in the ratio of 75:25 and the houses are constructed by the beneficiaries themselves. The Department as per the CAG report has sanctioned assistance to 1.52 lakh beneficiaries for construction of new houses during the period 2008-13 under the scheme.
The CAG during its audit from 2008 to 13 has found that the accumulation of unspent balances for the State at the close of the financial years 2008-13 varies between Rs 13.62 crore and Rs 17.54 crore constituting 15 to 21 percent of the available balances. The non utilization of available funds in a particular year affected the release of funds in future to the extent of 6.89 crore in 14 districts of the State during the period 2008-09 to 2012 -13 by GoI, the report revealed further.
While finding fault in the functioning of the CAPD, the CAG report took serious exception to violation of guidelines of the scheme and has sought an explanation from the Department that how the BDOs violated the guidelines and operated two to eight bank accounts in different banks. Moreover, delays ranging between one month and nine months were noticed in release of funds during the year 2008-13 in Jammu district alone affecting the scheme, report further added.
It also took serious exception to failure on the part of RDD that none of the test checked blocks had reconciled the details of funds under the scheme in their records with the banks to ascertain the factual position of un cashed cheques and exact nature of violations of the balances as the variation between the bank balances and the balances adopted in the cash book ranged between Rs 33.95 lakh to Rs 143.43 lakh.
While checking the records of BDO Marh during the audit it was found that Rs 28.61 lakh was booked as expenditure in the cash book for the year 2010-11 (Rs 24.89 lakh in March 2011 and Rs 3.72 lakh in February 2011) without recording of details, other support entries and agency to whom the amount had been paid. Further, Rs 14.87 lakh was drawn from the treasury as State share for IAY in March 2010 which was shown in the general cash book as transferred to the IAY cash book. However, this amount was neither entered into the cash book, nor credited into five IAY bank accounts operated by the BDO Marh.
Terming it a grave irregularity, the report revealed that this way Rs 43.48 lakh could not be verified.
The audit also noticed that the guidelines were not noticed in making allotment s of fund and in 23 blocks funds to the extent of Rs 19.87 crore was released in excess of the due amount of 47.25 crore while an equivalent amount was released short in other 16 blocks of six test checked districts during the period.
The CAG during its audit has further found diversion of Rs 3.79 crore out of Rs 4.51 fund specially sanctioned by GOI during 2008-09 under the special package for rehabilitation of 1172 BPL border displaced families of block Akhnoor of Jammu district whose houses got damaged due to heavy shelling from across the border during 2008-09 to 2010-11. The balance of Rs 71.91 had remained unspent up to March 2013.
The report further revealed that on the basis of census report of 2001, GOI had released funds during the period 2008-13 for 093 lakh houses in the State. However the assistance was paid to 2.12 lakh houses by giving benefit to 1.19 lakh ineligible beneficiaries under the scheme. The Department which attributed to increase in bifurcation of BPL families however failed to submit any proof in this regard, the report pointed out.
In another gross violation, the Department paid Rs 3.87 crore to 1903 beneficiaries out of 10,674 during 2008-13. However the second installment which was due to these beneficiaries was neither claimed nor paid to them. The BDOs stated that the work has not been started by the beneficiaries so they did not claim the second installment. The auditors were not convinced with the reply as the construction of the houses by the beneficiaries was to be mentioned by the Department.
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