PAC report points out at financial mess in Maha Labour Board

The state legislature's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has made several remarks about the financial mismanagement in Maharashtra labour board.
The report also raises questions over the Board's failed laptop distribution scheme and the medical aid provided to the family members of labourers.
The PAC report was tabled on Friday in the Maharashtra Assembly.
The Maharashtra Building and Other Construction Workers' Welfare Board (Mahakamgar) has deposits worth Rs 4,200 crore and it can function even on the interest earned on it, still there are severe mismanagement related issues, stated the PAC report.
The report has pointed out that the board does not keep all the records of funds which are received and disbursed; hence it is difficult to audit the board's annual reports.

The Board is supposed to submit its budgetary plans to the state government every year but never did so, mentions the PAC report.

The Board assured the public accounts committee during the meeting that it would carry out audits of its various schemes -- its report should be submitted before the PAC in next three months, recommended the PAC report.
The report has also raised doubts over some schemes of the state government, which have eventually failed to benefit the needy labourers.
In January 2014, the then state government had purchased 50 laptops at a total cost of Rs 23.80 lakh but none of it was distributed ever.

The CAG report had stated that the Board failed to ascertain the beneficiaries, which is upheld by the PAC.
The committee further stated that without any outline of the scheme or criteria -- laptops were purchased.
The report has also quoted the response of the labour board, which reasoned that "as education or any other ministry is not distributing laptops, then it would not be appropriate for the labour department to undertake such a scheme. If 50 laptops are disbursed now, there will be 500 more to come with the same demand."
The PAC has termed the entire exercise as "ridiculous", and recommended a detailed report on current condition of laptops, if distributed then who received it and the criteria applied for it.

The committee has given three month's time to the labour board to submit a detailed report.
The committee has also recommended to submit a report on three schemes of the labour board, which were chalked out to provide financial assistance to the students' of labourers, pregnant women and for the last rites of a labourer.
The committee found out that Rs 38.24 lakh was distributed to students in secondary schools as financial assistance during the schooling. Though the scheme was introduced in 2013-14, Rs 1.05 lakh amount was disbursed in the period of 2012-13 as education assistance, the report points out.

The board has also disbursed an amount Rs 1.49 lakh to 17 students, but did not have any proof of their educational qualification, which class they were studying and whether they passed it or not, the report said.
Similarly, Rs 15.55 lakh were distributed to 222 beneficiaries under medical support scheme for pregnant women who underwent caesarean delivery during 2012-14 but in reality many women had delivered before the scheme was launched and their names were inserted later as beneficiaries, the PAC report mentioned.
The board had distributed Rs 1.20 lakh to 24 persons for carrying out their last rites, but the family members of those labourers did not submit any documentary evidence.

The PAC has recommended a thorough inquiry in this matter in next three months in its report.