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LAHDC Leh and Kargil did not submit their account details since formation: CAG

Last Updated on March 31, 2021 at 10:31 pm

The Comptroller Auditor General of India recently released a report revealing that Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) of Leh and Kargil have failed to submit their account details for audit since they have been formed. CAG called it a serious financial irregularity.

The CAG said that both autonomous bodies in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh have not filed their accounts for audit. Both Leh and Kargil Autonomous Hill Development councils didn’t submit accounts for audit since they were formed back in 1995-96 and 2004-05 respectively.

The report mentioned that even though a significant amount of funds have been granted to LAHDC Leh and funds which remain unspent are credited in public account of the UT, still they have not submitted their accounts for audit. Similarly, LAHDC Kargil was formed in 2004-05 and they too have not shared their accounts since then.

The CAG stated that this consistent delay in submission of accounts by these bodies even though they are continuing to receive funding is a major financial irregularity.

Other than them, CAG also mentioned many other departments which have failed to do the same. One of them namely Compensatory Afforestation Management and Planning Authority didn’t submit their accounts for the past 10 years. The two branches of Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Science and Technology in Jammu and Kashmir didn’t also submit their account for audit since nine and three years respectively.

CAG report also mentioned other bodies which were involved in serious financial irregularities are Jammu and Kashmir State Housing Board, Khadi and Village Industries Board, Employees Provident Fund Board in Srinagar, Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board and State Legal Service Authority.

The CAG said that they could not send audited accounts of these statutory bodies in order to present them to state legislature as required by the provisions under which these bodies were created because of their non-compliance. CAG report notes that because of this non-compliance, state legislature can’t evaluate their activities and financial performance.