CAG slams Guj govt on diverse issues

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has slammed the Gujarat government on a wide range of issues including social and education indicators, agricultural growth and industrial sector besides fiscal discipline, observing there were "deficiencies".
The CAG observations that came against the backdrop of the much touted Gujarat model of development were contained in five separate reports for 2013-14 submitted in the state Assembly here yesterday.
It found "significant deficiencies" by the Gujarat government in implementing schemes for protection and welfare of female children.
The CAG noted that the Gujarat State Child Protection Society (GSCPS) had not formulated its State Child Protection Policy and State Plan of Action, as a result of which the state government failed in setting goals and establishing accountability of the departments meant for child protection and welfare services.

It observed that Gujarat's gender ratio has actually declined further.
"As per Census 2011, the trend of overall sex ratio of the state (Gujarat) has declined (from 920 girls to 919 girls), though the all-India ratio had improved from 933 girls to 943 girls per 1,000 boys as compared to Census 2001," the CAG social sector performance audit said.

The CAG report expressed dissatisfaction on the steps taken by the Gujarat government to stop female foeticide in the state.
"Out of a total 181 cases filed under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PC&PNDT) Act, only 49 cases were finalised as on March 2014 and out of these 49 cases finalised, the accused were convicted only in six cases.

The pendency period of these cases ranged from one year to 12 years," the CAG report said.
The CAG also criticised the Gujarat government for not maintaining teaching staff in schools run by it, resulting in children dropping out of these schools.
In the CAG's compliance audit of the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) scheme in Gujarat, it stated that out of 43,176 government-run schools in the state, 64 schools having 5,698 students run without any teacher. Further, 874 schools function with merely one taecher as on March 2014.
The CAG also said that 20 Gujarat state government-run public sector undertakings (PSUs) incurred losses of Rs 1,111.85 crore.

Commenting on the performance of Gujarat state government-run PSUs for 2013-14, the report stated that out of 72 working PSUs, 46 earned profits of Rs 3,363.96 crore, while 20 PSUs registered losses.
The major loss making companies are GSPC Pipavav Power Company Ltd (Rs 307.10 crore), Gujarat State Energy Generation Ltd (Rs 151.21 crore), GSPC Gas Company Ltd (Rs 134.68 crore), Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (Rs 132.50 crore) and Gujarat State Financial Corporation (Rs 112.76 crore).
In its audit report of agriculture sector, the CAG noted that the state had registered negative growth in this sector in 2012-13.