Bhopal: Over 25 departments fail to use supplementary grants, according to CAG report

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): More than 25 departments of the Madhya Pradesh government have failed to utilise the funds allocated to them under the supplementary budget in the 2021-22 fiscal.

This fact came to light in the appropriation accounts report-2021-22 prepared by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG). The report was tabled in the MP House on Wednesday.

The government departments seek supplementary grants to fill the financial gap because of inaccurate estimation of the main budget.

The CAG report has highlighted the fact that most of the departments have failed to spend the funds allocated under the main budget, besides the grants they received under the supplementary accounts.

According to sources, the funds, sanctioned for the welfare schemes run for the Other Backward classes (OBC), the Scheduled Caste and the Scheduled Tribe (ST) people, remained unutilised.

According to the CAG report, a sum of Rs 80.95 crore was sanctioned from the supplementary budget for the department that handles the ST/SC and OBC welfare schemes. Nevertheless, it failed to spend Rs 70.90 crore.

The department also failed to provide scholarship to the students of class 11 and class 12 and those who study in degree colleges.

A sum of Rs 92.40 crore was allocated for scholarship, but only an amount of Rs 72.94 crore was distributed. The department failed to disburse Rs 19.54 crore.

Similarly, a sum of Rs 64.6 crore was allocated to set up girls’ hostels in the districts, but the department spent only Rs 32.8 crore. A sum of Rs 31.8 crore remained unspent. Besides Rs 3.20 crore set aside for training of SC/ST youths remained unutilised, the report says.

Police department, too, fails to spend funds

The state government allocated a huge amount for the police department under the supplementary budget. An amount of Rs 15 crore and a sum of Rs 50 lakh were given to the department in August and in December last year, but the department could not spend the money. According to the CAG report, the department also failed to utilise the funds allocated to the department under the main budget. Similarly, a sum of Rs 42 lakh was given to the narcotics branch, but the department did not use it. A sum of Rs 1.50 was allocated to modernise the Nagar Sena, but not a single penny was spent.

As the expenses were less than the provisions made in the budget, supplementary grant of Rs 100 crore given in the month of December 21 was unnecessary, according to CAG report. Apart from that, the department has failed to spend Rs 204 crore under the main budget.

Published on: Friday, December 23, 2022, 04:32 AM IST