Finance report hints non-utilisation of fund

By A Staff Reporter

IMPHAL | Jan 5

 State Finance Account and Appropriate Accounts report 2016-17 indicates that due to excessive budgeting or lack of monitoring of fund by the government departments, some of the demands for grants has remained unutilised during  the same year.

Public works departments for instance, did not utilise 26.66 percent of the fund allocated, education department 18 percent, agriculture 49.30 percent, community and rural development 30.05 percent, general economic service and planning 85,55 percent, minor irrigation 47.41 percent, irrigation and flood control department  24.75 percent and social and welfare department 35.34 percent.

Speaking to media persons accountant general (A and E), D. Jaisankar said the annual accounts of the state consist of finance accounts and appropriate accounts. He said accounts are summary statements of accounts under the consolidation fund, contingency funds and the public accounts. The accounts are presented in two volumes, he added.

In abstract contingent (AC) bills out if Rs. 347.96 crores drawn against AC bill in 2016-17, AC bills amounting to Rs. 100.35 crores were drawn in March 2017 alone. Out of which Rs. 48.81 crores was drawn on the last day of March 2017 alone, he added.

He said amounts drawn in the month of March were indicative of the fact that the likelihood of actual expenditure of such drawls within the concerned financial year were remote and withdrawals were made mere to avoid lapse of appropriation.

He further said 923 detailed countersigned contingent (DCC) bills amounting to Rs. 1708.50 crores pertaining to the period 2003-17 were outstanding as on March 31, 2017. Delayed submission or prolong non-submission of supporting bills renders the expenditure under AC bills opaque, and susceptible to misuse.

Most of the outstanding AC bills pertain to the administrative departments of health services (28.27 percent), education (S) (10.77 percent), tribal affairs and hills (6.53 percent), police (6.53 percent) and power (6.45 percent), he added.

The appropriate accounts show that in the year 2016-17, there was actual expenditure of Rs. 10,652.06 crores, comprising of Rs. 8,213 crores on revenue accounts, Rs. 1, 493.57 crores on capital accounts, Rs. 1, 144.97 crores for repayment of debt, and Rs. 0.25 crores as loans and advances given by the State. There were savings under revenue and advances with reference to total grants allocated by the state legislature.

 During the conference Jaisankar released Appropriation Accounts 2016-17 and Finance Accounts 2016-17 (volume 1 and 2).