Patna rush for CAG compliance
The report of the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India, which found discrepancies of over Rs 11,000 crores by the Bihar government, had stated the expenses incurred were “not in tune with the spirit of formation of contingency funds ... provided (under) the Constitution.”
The report, on the basis of which the Patna high court ordered a CBI probe against chief minister Nitish Kumar, deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi and health minister Nand Kishore Yadav, among others, also noted that “on several occasions, expenditure incurred were not to meet unforeseen and emergent expenditure, but for pay and allowances, TA, LTC, office expenses, purchase of vehicles, etc.” It adds: “These were not in tune with the spirit of formation of contingency fund provided in the Constitution.” The departments which have the biggest amounts yet to be accounted for include rural development, health and education.
The Bihar government has now directed all drawing and disbursing officers (DDOs) from each and every department to deposit all the detailed contingency (DC) bills to the office of Bihar’s accountant-general in Patna. “It’s a sight out there, thousands of DDOs are now trying to muscle their way to the four counters to deposit the bills,” a senior bureaucrat in the office of Bihar’s chief minister told this newspaper on Thursday. The total number of pending bills, according to the CAG report, is 46,809.
The report had stated: “Rules were disregarded by the DDOs and circle officers.” It added: “Scrutiny of records revealed that out of total withdrawals of Rs 11,924.44 crores on advance contingency bills, detailed contingency bills for only Rs 511.90 crores were submitted to the accountant-general in Patna, and no DC bills for the remaining amount of Rs 11,412.51 crores during the years 2002-03 to 2007-08 were submitted.”
It also pointed out that on 205 occasions, expenditure of Rs 2,47.05 crores were incurred not to meet unforeseen and emergent expenditure, but for pay and allowances, TA, LTC, office expenses, purchase of vehicles, etc.”
It may be recalled that the Patna high court had on July 16 ordered a CBI probe into the alleged irregular withdrawal of Rs 11,412.54 crores from the state treasury between 2002-03 and 2007-08 for different welfare and development schemes without making the required bills available to the accountant-general of Bihar. It also directed the CBI director to be present in court on July 26 when it would take up the case. The period of withdrawals includes the 42-month Rabri Devi-led RJD-Congress government and 28 months of the Nitish Kumar-led NDA government.
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