MLAs fail to submit report on funds utilization: Comptroller and Auditor General

A Correspondent

SHILLONG: State Legislators did not submit utilization certificates (UCs) in respect of discretionary grants amounting to Rs 10.73 crore in violation of the scheme guidelines, a report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India for the year ended March 31, 2018, has revealed.

According to the CAG, during a four-year period starting 2014-15 to 2017-18, the Parliamentary Affairs Department sanctioned an amount of Rs 11.40 crore as a discretionary grant to the 60 MLAs.

Scrutiny of records (February 2018) of the Assembly Secretariat revealed that out of the 60 MLAs to whom discretionary grant were released, only six of them submitted UCs for Rs 0.67 crore for the years 2014-18 against an amount of Rs 11.40 crore released during the same period.

“UCs for the balance amount of Rs 10.73 crore were not submitted by the MLAs even as of December 2018,” the CAG report stated. “Despite the MLAs not submitting the UCs, the Secretary Meghalaya Legislative Assembly continued to release the discretionary grant even during the subsequent years,” the CAG added.

According to the report no action was taken to withhold further release of discretionary grant and ensure submission of UCs as per the provisions of the prescribed guidelines.

According to the guidelines, release of discretionary grants for the subsequent year would depend on submission of the UC by the MLAs.

The amount to be distributed to each beneficiary was not to exceed Rs 1500 in each case. Each MLA has to compile the list of beneficiaries and the amount distributed to each of them during the year and issue a certificate to that fact and the consolidated statement is to be submitted to the Secretary Legislative Assembly.

On receipt of such UCS and the Applications/Actual Payee Receipt (APRs), the Secretary of the Legislative Assembly has to ensure that the expenditure incurred complies with the requirement of these guidelines.

Meanwhile, the Comptroller and Auditor General report further revealed that even the UCs/APRs submitted by the six MLAs for the years 2014-18 – none of the legislators who submitted the UCs adhered to the monetary limit of Rs 1500 per beneficiary fixed as per guidelines.

Out of the six MLAs, four either did not submit APRs or submitted only partial APRS in support of the expenditure in violation of the guidelines.

“No action was taken by the Secretary, Meghalaya Legislative Assembly either to enforce adherence to the monetary limit or for submission of APRs by the MLAs as required by the guidelines,” the report stated.

When the Comptroller and Auditor General in November 2018 pointed this out to the Secretary, Meghalaya Legislative Assembly in December 2018 in its reply the Assembly Secretariat stated that it had written to the MLAs to furnish the UCs as early as possible and that the matter of enhancing the monetary limit of Rs 1500 per beneficiary has been taken up with the government.

“The response does not address the issue as to why guidelines for implementation of discretionary grants were not complied with and why he continued to irregularly release the discretionary grant without obtaining the UCs/APRs of previously released funds from the MLAs,” the CAG stated.

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