Irregularities worth Rs 97,000 crore was reported during Samajwadi Party’s government in Uttar Pradesh, claimed a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report.
The report also says that between 2014-2017, the amount allotted was unaccounted, and the concerned departments failed to submit the utilisation certificates worth Rs 97,906.72 crore. Despite failing to provide utilisation details of the previous funds provided, new funds were still allocated to these departments. The CAG report claimed that a total of over 2.5 lakh utilisation certificates had been pending between 2014 and March 2017.
The departments of social welfare, Education and Panchayati Raj are the significant defaulters, as they failed to explain the expenditure of funds allotted to them. The Panchayati Raj department was unable to provide utilisation certificate amounting to Rs 25,4990.95 crore, the education department could not explain Rs 25,693.52 crore funds, and the social welfare department failed to give utilisation report of Rs 26,927.49 crore. The report indicates that high pendency of utilisation certificates shows the risk of misuse of funds and wrongdoings.
Utilisation report
The CAG has recommended that the state finance department should not allow any additional funds to these departments unless they certify that the money allotted to them in the past has been used and provide the utilisation report.
UP cabinet minister and government spokesperson Srikant Sharma told India Today TV, “This matter has come to light from the CAG report. We will look into the matter.”
The Samajwadi Party, on the other hand, denied that there were wrongdoings and misuse of any funds on their part. Party spokesperson Sunil Yadav said, “The findings of the CAG report don’t mean that corruption or fraud took place. Similar reports had come in the past from Maharashtra and Gujarat which are BJP-ruled states. Both of them denied charges of corruption. The CAG had also alleged discrepancies in the allocation of 2G spectrum during the UPA regime. However, the accused was acquitted by the court.”
Earlier also the CAG report highlighted how the Akhilesh’s Government inappropriately used the funds. In May 2017, the CAG report revealed that the govt. spent Rs 15 crore avoidable expense on programmes to dole out unemployment allowance cheques worth Rs 20.58 crore between 2012 and 2013.
The report stated, “An avoidable expenditure of Rs 15.06 crore was incurred on organising functions to distribute cheques to beneficiaries of ‘Berozgari Bhatta Yojna’ in 69 districts though the unemployment allowance was to be credited to the beneficiaries’ bank accounts.”
Recently, Former Chief Minister, Akhilesh Yadav was criticised for allegedly damaging the bungalow and illegally spending 4.67 crores on the illegal structures at the mansion, he vacated. Later, rebuking the allegations levied against him, he also announced 11 lakhs to anyone, who names the people responsible behind the ruins.
