In a comprehensive audit report released by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India for the year ending March 31, 2022, a slew of fiscal irregularities spanning various sectors in Manipur has been unearthed, shedding light on alleged mismanagement and inefficiencies.
Under the general sector, the report pointed out that the Education Engineering Wing of Education (S) Department had not deposited VAT amounting to Rs 2.34 crore to the Government Account.
It stated, the Manipur Tribal Development Corporation which is under TA & Hills Department had not deposited Sales tax of Rs 17.42 crore and GST amount of Rs 1.04 crore into the Government Account.
Moreover, it had not deposited Labour Cess amounting to Rs 3.81 crore into the account of Manipur Building and Other Construction Workers’ Welfare Board.
In the social sector, the Social Welfare department had blocked funds amounting to Rs. 8.08 crore meant for construction of Anganwadi Centre Buildings for three to four years.
Under the economic sector, the report highlighted the delays in processing of application forms of beneficiaries of PM-KISAN Yojana of the Agriculture Department by two to 16 months.
Stating that records of the beneficiaries were not properly maintained in the selected districts, it said irregular financial benefits of Rs 65.49 crore was given to 1,91,244 ineligible beneficiaries as they were enrolled by fraudulent use of User IDs of government employees of SNO/ fraudulently created Government User IDs, without required documents and some were Income Tax payees.
“There was a well-planned fraudulent modus operandi adopted to register beneficiaries unauthorisedly in order to take benefits of this government scheme by using fraudulent User Ids,” it mentioned.
Financial benefits of Rs 27.30 crore were made in seven instalments to 46,023 beneficiaries whose details did not match with bank accounts details and payments were also made to more than one family member and to families with no land holdings, it added.
In the Trade, Commerce and Industries Department, the report stated that there were non-completion of cold chain facilities for more than seven years rendered expenditure of Rs 1.20 crore idle.
Due to delay in release of payment to the contractor, the PWD incurred an avoidable expenditure of Rs 6.95 crore as Financing Charges, it said.
Undue benefit of Rs 2.28 crore was given to contractors due to adoption of higher rate of scaffolding items in construction of six overhead tanks in the PHED, it said. Moreover, avoidable expenditure of Rs 74.06 lakh was incurred by Water Supply Maintenance Division-II of PHED on removal of sliding earth, it mentioned.
