CAG raps Nitish govt for poor budgetary monitoring
Central auditor says state failed to use one-third of total budgetary provisions at last fiscal year end
According to its report, which was tabled in the state assembly on Friday, the government auditor has said that the state government failed to use almost one-third of its total budgetary provisions at the end of last fiscal year.
"There were large savings of Rs. 43,925 crore against total budget provision of Rs. 1.40 lakh crore during 2014-15, indicating improper budget estimation. These savings is likely to adversely affect the implementation of development programmes in the state," said the report.
It also mentions that out of this amount, Rs. 27,334 crore was surrendered and in which Rs 22,740 crore was surrendered on the March 31, 2015, the last date of FY 2014-15. The largest amounts were surrendered by the Education and Social Welfare Departments.
It also noticed large savings or unutilised sum for the last five years in 10 departments. "It indicates improper estimation and monitoring by the state government," said Sanjay Kumar AG (A&E), Bihar, "Estimates were not realistic and there was not an effective system for monitoring. Government departments have the provisions for a Budget Officer, but most of these posts are lying vacant. This leads to improper estimation and poor monitoring."
In fact, in several cases the departments were allocated additional funds, even when they failed to fully utilise their original provisions. The supplementary grants not only proved unnecessary, but also blocked the funds which could have been used in a better manner.
In 10 departments, there were persistent savings of more than Rs 100 crore and their utilisation ranged from 13-71% during the last five years. The non or short levy of tax, fees, penalty, etc also cost the government Rs 1,235 crore in last fiscal.