In at least two major schemes like the MGNREGA and PM Awas Yojana the Union Government has sent several central schemes to look into the allegations of corruption and misuse of public funds
| Photo Credit: DEBASISH BHADURI
On February 8, the Ministry of Education asked the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) to conduct a special audit on the alleged misuse of funds from the PM Poshan Scheme in West Bengal over the past three years. Only a few weeks ago, the Calcutta High Court gave directions to add CAG as a party to public interest litigation of the State finances.
Over the past few years, allegations of corruption in central and state social welfare schemes have come to the fore. In at least two major schemes like the MGNREGA and PM Awas Yojana the Union Government has sent several central schemes to look into the allegations of corruption and misuse of public funds.
Biswanath Goswami, a socio-legal researcher, and RTI activist who has been keenly following audits conducted by CAG in West Bengal said that not a single major social security scheme and project funded by the State government or Centre has been audited by CAG in the State since 2011.
Mr. Goswami cited several instances where the West Bengal government had stonewalled attempts by the CAG to audit key schemes. For instance, in the year 2017, the CAG had written to the Women and Child Development Department for an audit of ‘Kanyashree Prakalpa’. In a letter dated 13.02. 2017 the State Government expressed its inability to furnish relevant records of Kanyashree Prakalpa due to “privacy and security”. In the same case, CAG sought data and relevant records from State’s Chief Secretary on 30.03. 2017 and later observed that nothing has been received from the department.
Kanyashree Prakalpa, a cash incentive scheme for school girls was started by West Bengal in 2013 and the beneficiaries of the scheme are about ₹81 lakh. Till the financial year 2019-20, the State government had already spent ₹8277.6 crore for its implementation. In the year 2022-23, the State government’s allocation for the scheme was ₹1866.2 crore.
In another instance involving the digitization of ration cards a request by CAG on 02.09.2016 to the Secretary Food and Supplies Department seeking an audit was turned down. The document also points out that CAG also approached Chief Secretary 30.03. 2017 but no audit could be conducted.
Similarly audits sought on the law and order during civil disturbances including licensing of arms as well as e-procurement in the State government departments did not see the light of the day. In a letter to the Secretary of Finance and Directorate of Treasuries and Accounts in April 2019 Deputy Accountant General of the CAG sought access to documents and the IT system of the treasury so that a necessary audit can be conducted which was also not entertained.
“These are only a few instances where I have gathered documents that CAG audits could not be performed because of repeated resistance from the State government. The CAG, however, cannot escape from its constitutional responsibility as it is mandated to carry out audits involving major schemes. Therefore, along with the State government the CAG is also accountable for the financial mess of the State,” Mr. Goswami said .
On 17 October 2022, Mr. Goswami sought details of the audit of social welfare schemes conducted by CAG in West Bengal between 2011 and till date through an RTI query. The first reply by the CAG on November 7, 2022, said that “requisite information is not readily available” with this authority and stated that the RTI petitioner “had drifted far and wide” from the spirit of the RTI Act in seeking information.
When Mr. Goswami filed the first appeal before Satish Kumar Garg, Principal Accountant General (Audit) West Bengal, the response was entirely different. “The office conducts audits of various functionaries under the State Government. Such audits are not done scheme-wise unless performance audit or schematic audits on certain selected schemes are taken up,” Mr. Garg responded on January 4, 2023.
Referring to the ongoing politics over corruption in schemes like MNREGA and PM Awas Yojana, the RTI activist claimed that if proper audits were conducted in time there was no reason for central teams to visit West Bengal as well as the State government to raise pitch for its funds and turning the whole issue into a “political spectacle”.
