The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) have identified several flaws in the Gujarat Education Department’s financial practises, including the issuance of utilisation certificates without completion of work.
On Thursday, the last day of the month-long Budget session, the “State Finances Audit Report of the CAG for the year ended March 31, 2021” was tabled on the floor of the Gujarat Assembly.
During the audit, the central body observed that various new initiatives announced during the budget were not implemented by the department and remained unfulfilled, such as digitization of service book of employees of non-government granted schools.
Other such announcements made in 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21 that remained unfulfilled include starting three self-financed Sainik Schools on PPP mode, installation of CCTV cameras in secondary and higher secondary schools, NAAC accreditation reforms for government colleges and establishment of Emergency Technology Lab.
The CAG noted that the commissioner had provided a utilisation certificate in respect of the entire amount of Rs 19.22 crore stating that 841 kitchen-cum-stores were constructed during 2018-19.
However, the auditor’s field visit at six places in October 2021 revealed that the construction of five MDM kitchens had been completed while the construction of kitchens at one school was under progress.
“However, office of the State Project Director (SSA) had issued a utilisation certificate to Commissioner MDM in respect of the entire grant without ascertaining actual completion of construction work” said the CAG in the report, adding subsequent communication affirmed that certificate was issued before the completion of work.
The CAG stated that the rule 33 of the General Financial Rules (GFR), 2017, prescribes that cases of misappropriation, theft, defalcation are to be reported to it by various departments of the state government.
According to the CAG, the Gujarat Budget Manual states that spending departments should surrender unspent grants to the Finance Department as and when savings are anticipated. These unspent balances should be credited to the concerned revenue expenditure.
However, “unspent balances of grants amounting to Rs 143.76 crore were incorrectly deposited as revenue receipts into government accounts during 2017-18 to 2021-22. This affected the correct depiction of revenue receipts and revenue expenditure of the respective years to that extent,” it said.
The CAG highlighted significant savings made by the Education Department through centrally sponsored schemes.