The Comptroller and Auditor Basic (CAG) has flagged critical monetary irregularities in Bihar, revealing that the state authorities has not submitted utilisation certificates (UCs) for Rs 70,877.61 crore as of March 31, 2024.
The Comptroller and Auditor Basic (CAG) has raised critical issues over the Bihar authorities’s failure to submit utilisation certificates (UCs) for funds amounting to Rs 70,877.61 crore. These findings had been detailed within the CAG’s State Funds Audit Report for 2023–24, tabled within the Bihar Meeting on Thursday. Based on the report, 49,649 UCs had been excellent as of 31 March 2024. “Regardless of the requirement of submitting UCs inside the stipulated time interval, 49,649 excellent UCs of Rs 70,877.61 crore weren’t acquired by the Accountant Basic (Accounts & Entitlements), Bihar,” the report acknowledged.
Danger of fund misuse flagged
The CAG cautioned that the absence of UCs prevents verification of whether or not funds had been used for his or her supposed functions. “Excessive pendency of UCs is fraught with the danger of embezzlement, misappropriation and diversion of funds,” it warned.
Of the full pending quantity, Rs 14,452.38 crore pertains to durations earlier than 2016-17, indicating a long-standing compliance challenge.
Authorities departments with the very best pending UCs
5 departments account for the majority of the unverified expenditure:
- Panchayati Raj: Rs 28,154.10 crore
- Schooling: Rs 12,623.67 crore
- City Improvement: Rs 11,065.50 crore
- Rural Improvement: Rs 7,800.48 crore
- Agriculture: Rs 2,107.63 crore
Delays in submitting DC payments
The report additionally highlighted delays within the submission of Detailed Contingent (DC) Payments, that are required to account for funds drawn utilizing Summary Contingent (AC) Payments. As of March 2024, DC Payments price Rs 9,205.76 crore had been pending towards 22,130 AC Payments.
“Non-submission of DC payments inside the prescribed interval breaches monetary self-discipline and enhances the danger of misappropriation of public cash,” the CAG noticed.
Finances efficiency and financial indicators
For the monetary 12 months 2023–24, Bihar had a price range outlay of Rs 3.26 lakh crore. Of this, Rs 2.60 lakh crore was utilised, amounting to 79.92 % of the full. Nevertheless, the state surrendered solely Rs 23,875.55 crore, or 36.44 %, of its complete financial savings of Rs 65,512.05 crore. The CAG famous this as an indication of inefficient price range administration.
The state’s liabilities elevated by 12.34 % over the earlier 12 months. Specifically, inner debt elevated by 13.51 per cent, leading to an extra burden of Rs 28,107.06 crore.