Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, Feb 25: Passing severe strictures against the Social Welfare Department (SWD), the Committee on Public Undertakings has recommended that the officers responsible for unauthorized diversification of funds in the Department be identified and punished.
In its annual report for the year 2012-13 tabled in State Assembly today, the Committee has taken serious exception to the unauthorized diversion of funds by the Corporation in order to meet the salary of the staff in absence of the sufficient budgetary provision for the same.
In the report the Committee observed that it was mandatory for the Corporation to solicit proper permission in this regard from the Government which has not been obtained.
The Committee also observed that the Administrative Department concerned has not been monitoring the functioning of the accounts of the Corporation properly and has not initiated any action against the responsible officers with a particular timeframe.
The Committee expressed concern for seeking post facto approval by the Corporation for the diversion two years after the matter was pointed out by the audit agency, adding whether the officer concerned has any competence to make the diversion and if an immediate action would have been taken upon the audit paras, the matter should have not been prolonged to such an extent.
The Committee recommended that an early action should be taken upon audit parars to avoid any relaxation to the involved persons.
However, the Committee in its report said that it was informed by the Secretary of Social Welfare Department that since the Corporation was not under the direct administrative control of the Department it was not in a position to monitor the accounts and expenditure of the Corporation regularly.
The Committee while grilling the J&K Horticulture Produce, Marketing and Processing Corporation (HPMPC) Ltd has observed that it has failed to maintain properly its assets in different districts, adding no measures have been taken to boast the industry and outsiders have been preferred over the locals in supply process.
The Committee also observed that the Corporation has failed carry the fallen and degraded fruit for further processing purposes while the samples are not being properly tested by the University of Jammu which has been chosen for the purpose. It took the Corporation to task for not taking the measures to bring quality at par with other States of the country.
While taking serious exception to failure of the Department to evict Army from its land measuring thousands of kanals in different areas of the State, it urged the Department to pursue the matter vigorously with the Home Department for the early disposal of the case on analogy of other quarters.
The Committee further observed that the Corporation has also failed to facilitate the growers in and around the State and provide them any kind of assistance in different markets at national level.
The Committee, while finding fault with functioning of the CAPD Department observed that it has failed to initiate action against the officers involved in embezzlement adding that the Department should have lodged the FIR against absconding Store keeper in concerned police station.
The Committee after going through the reply of Action taken reports of the Department in response to misappropriation of funds due to absence of proper mechanism made these observations.
The Committee in its report on State Financial Corporation observed that the Corporation has remained somehow casual resulting the lowest CD ratio of 36 per cent only against 64 per cent at national level and turning the standard portfolios as substandard, doubtful and bad.
The Committee further observed that the procedure and the criteria adopted by the Corporation for loaning, the process was not fare and genuine resulting in an emergence of a few fictitious mortgage cases.
It, however, recommended that an amnesty be given to the financially suffered people as one time exception.
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