Last Updated on April 22, 2021 at 1:27 pm
The government is suspecting a Rs 8,000 crore worth scam as grants to autonomous government departments, which have often violated financial norms meant for preventing frauds, have been asked to stop.
Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) recently presented a report in Parliament session where the Jammu and Kashmir government came into spotlight after failing to submit the mandatory “Utilisation Certificates (UCs)” within the deadline. These UCs are required for transparent flow of the funds of around Rs 8,000 crore. CAG report states that it is suspected that funds were not efficiently utilized that’s why UCs were not submitted.
Report mentions that Utilisation Certificates of worth Rs 8,219.90 crore were outstanding till March 31, 2019. Out of total 1,774 outstanding UCs, 404 UCs worth Rs 2,246.91 crore were outstanding for over a year and 548 UCs of Rs 3,263.58 crore were outstanding for more than two years.
Report also says that according to rules, Department officials must obtain Utilisation Certificates from the grantees and once verification is done then these should be forwarded to the Accountant General (A&E) Jammu and Kashmir within 18 months from the date when they were sanctioned if they have not been asked specifically to do otherwise.
The government agencies which are being scrutinised are Education Department, municipal corporations of Jammu and Srinagar and the SK University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST). Sources have informed that Government is aware of this case and can order an inquiry into the matter soon.
A senior official said that this is a matter of more than Rs eight thousand crore and can’t be taken lightly. This alleged scam has also negatively impacted future of students as education department and SKUAST is also said to be involved. He said that Raj Bhawan can call a high-level meeting in this regard soon to chalk out future course of action.
