GLARING MISMANAGEMENT >>
SCHEMES WITHOUT WELFARE
>> A whopping Rs 2,590 crore between 2012-17 disbursed with inadequate scrutiny of applications
>> Assistance was granted to beneficiaries who failed the eligibility criteria
>> The verification of family incomes by the implementing departments 'was weak'
PATHETIC TAX COLLECTION
Rs 1,223.84 crore pending to be recovered from traders and businesses prior to GST regime
CENSURING MINES & GEO DEPT
Failed to recover stamp duty and registration fees to the tune of Rs 108.43 cr when it renewed the now quashed 88 mining leases
ALL THAT GLITTERS AIN'T GOLD
Goa Industrial Development Corporation singled out for giving its employees 'gold coins' as mementos on its Golden Jubilee
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PANAJI: The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) in its report has rapped the State government for massive mismanagement of the Social Welfare Schemes pointing out that disbursal of a whopping Rs 2,590 crores between 2012-17 was done with inadequate scrutiny of applications.
Assistance was granted under the DSSS, Griha Aadhar and other schemes to beneficiaries who failed the eligibility criteria, besides others who took benefits under multiple schemes, the CAG report tabled in the Assembly on Friday, said.
The verification of family incomes by the implementing departments "was weak" although it was a vital criterion, the report said.
The CAG recommended that a suitable and comprehensive scrutiny of applications and periodic survey to verify beneficiaries and weed out bogus claimants.
In another scathing remark, the CAG report questions the whopping Rs 1,223.84 crores pending to be recovered by the Commercial Taxes department from traders and businesses prior to the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax regime.
The uncollected taxes recoverable as on March 31, 2017, is Rs 1223.84 and almost Rs 441.68 crores of this was pending for over six years, the CAG noted.
Up to 2011-12, the pending arrears of taxes recoverable was Rs 441,68 crores and it shot up by a staggering 277 per-cent to Rs 1223.84 in just five years, the report said.
Censuring the department of Mines and Geology, the CAG report said it failed to recover stamp duty and registration fees to the tune of Rs 108.43 crores when it renewed the now quashed 88 mining leases.
"Audit scrutiny of 76 mining lease deeds executed between January 2015 and February 2016, and registered by six sub-registrars revealed stamp duty was incorrectly worked out for 13 mining leases," the CAG said, adding that only Rs 66.45 crores was collected instead of Rs 169.72 crores.
Among the State-owned corporations, the CAG singled out the Goa Industrial Development Corporation for giving its employees 'gold coins' as mementos on its Golden Jubilee.
The largesse cost the state exchequer Rs. 19.84 lakh and the CAG faulted the corporation's managing director for purchasing the gold coins and taking post-facto approval of the board.
"The MD had no power to authorise such nature of expenditure as per the delegation of powers of GIDC. The gold coins were procured and distributed, the proposal was ratified ex-post facto," the CAG said in the report.
The national auditor, also found fault in the PWD preparing estimates for a water supply project based on rates of 2008 but floated the tender for the pipes five years later in December 2018. The department ended up paying Rs 2.34 crore more to the contractor, the CAG said.
The Urban Development Department was also faulted by the CAG for "undue favour" to a company in a project worth Rs 15 crores pertaining to setting up of a plant to convert waste plastics into fuel without any competition for the work.
On the overall finances of the State, the CAG said, the fiscal deficit in 2016-17 was 1.45 per-cent of the Gross State Domestic Product which it said was within the targets set by the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management law.
However, the fiscal liabilities of the State grew by Rs 1249 crores in the single financial year 2016-17 recording a growth of 8.02 percent. The CAG noted that although the fiscal liability as a percentage of GSDP at 26.07 percent decreased by 2.63 percent compared to the previous year, it was still higher than the 25 per-cent target set by the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management law.
