Fund misappropriations mar pony conservation in Manipur: CAG

Conservation efforts of a rare breed of pony in Manipur, the birthplace of polo, turned out to be a breeding ground for fund misappropriation with the government auditor CAG finding the state veterinary department spent lakhs of rupees on mundane office expenses rather than development of the animal.
Moreover, Manipur Horse Riding and Polo Association (MHRPA), a body entrusted with conservation of Manipuri Pony, procured 39 ponies "without rate justification on account of which avoidable excess expenditure of Rs 16.74 lakh was incurred from public fund", according to a CAG report on Manipur government.
According to the CAG report, Department of Veterinary & Animal Husbandry Services, Manipur "had unreasonably made fund provisions of Rs 16 lakh in the budgets 2010-14 under the detailed head - salaries, office expenses, domestic travel expenses and other charges" for two fodder farms that became non-operational since 2005.

"It was further observed that out of the said budget provisions of Rs 16 lakh, Rs 15.11 lakh was diverted by the department to meet expenditure for office expenses, diesel oil, repairing of vehicles and stationery items etc of the directorate," the CAG report said.
During the exit conference, the department accepted in October 2014 the audit observation and stated that the provision of the fund was made against the two farms due to shortage of fund, it added.
"The reply is not acceptable to us as there was sufficient fund provision of the department in the budget and saving occurred persistently during 2009-14," the CAG report said.

On the procurement of ponies, the report said: "It could be noticed that the MHPRA had procured 39 nos of ponies at an average cost of Rs 72,923 out of the central fund. Rate justification assessment of the cost of pony was, however, not on record and not verified by the department."
Audit of records further showed that MHRPA sold (in August 2013) 12 ponies to the National Research Centre on Equines (NRCE), Bikaner (Rajasthan), at the rate of Rs 30,000 per pony as against the then prevailing market rate of Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 for each pony.
"It was observed that the cost of pony included in the project estimate prepared by MHRPA was higher by an amount of Rs 42,923 than that of the selling price of a pony to NRCE and the maximum prevailing market rate of pony," the CAG report said.