CAG raises questions about fund usage by Social Justice

The CAG today raised doubts over whether funds being earmarked to bodies functioning under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment for creation of capital assets are being utlised for the purpose.
In its report, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has said that a new object head 'Grants for Creation of Capital Assets' was introduced in the financial year 2009-10 to account for the grants released to grantee bodies for creation of capital assets.
The government auditor said that during 2013-14, out of the total grant Rs. 87.67 crore, Rs. 24.63 crore and Rs. 19.80 crore were released to autonomous bodies/national institutes and universities respectively.

"The Ministry has invariably been including a clause in the sanction order that the assets created shall not be disposed of without the approval of the ministry," it added.
However, information could not be furnished to CAG regarding the existence of a centralised records/database, viz. Name of the grantee, details of assets created, amount of grant actually utilised for creation of capital assets, ownership of the capital assets, geographical location of the capital assets so created.
"In absence of such details, assurance could not be derived that the expenditure booked under this head actually resulted in creation of capital assets for which the grant was sanctioned," the report said.

Further, it is not clear how the ministry is ensuring that the grantee bodies are not disposing of the assets created out of these grants without its approval, in absence of any inventory existing in the ministry, it added.

The CAG also said that the ministry has stated that the functioning of performance of national institutes is reviewed periodically under the Chairmanship of the Social Justice Minister and Secretary (Disability Affairs).
The functioning of the national institutes is also reviewed by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment from time to time.
"However, no report of such review was provided by the Ministry. Moreover, regarding other autonomous bodies/ corporations no information was furnished by the Ministry," the CAG report said.