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| Erstwhile NC-Cong regime messed up Total Sanitation Campaign | | JK failed to submit utilisation certificates; Centre refused release of Rs 103.36 crore | | Syed Junaid Hashmi
Early Times Report
JAMMU, Dec 23: The audit report on centrally sponsored Total Sanitation Campaign (TCS), popularly known as Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (NBA), scheme has exposed the inefficiency and non-seriousness of the erstwhile NC-Congress regime.
According to performance audit of Total Sanitation Campaign/Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan for the year ended 2014; Union Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation did not release funds to the tune of Rs. 103.36 crore during 2009-14 primarily because the Jammu and Kashmir government then headed by NC failed to submit utilisation certificates (UCs) and the Audited Statement of Accounts (ASAs) to the Union Ministry as required under the guidelines.
This huge amount was supposed to be spent for construction of Individual Household Latrines (IHHLs) by the state government but the failure of the line departments to submit utilisation certificates to the government of india resulted in the union ministry of water and sanitation refusing to sanction more funds for the state under this scheme. Interestingly, state never pursued this issue long with the central government and allowed the funds to remain with the union ministry despite having been clearly kept in the central budget for J&K.
Besides, the state government had retained amounts between Rs. 0.13 crore and Rs. 6.51 crore during 2009-14 seemingly without any justification. The data collected from the DSWM showed that amounts ranging from Rs. 0.90 crore to Rs. 3.40 crore had been retained unnecessarily by the DWSM during 2009-14. District Panchayat Officers had also retained funds during the period when the audit had looked into the accounts.
Further, the funds received by (State Water and Sanitation Mission) SWSM from the Union Ministry for selected District Water and Sanitation Mission (DWSMs) was partially released and an amount of Rs. 1.52 crore was retained in its bank account. Against due state share of Rs. 11.88 crore to the selected districts for period 2009-14, audit found out that only Rs. 10.14 crore had been spent. The short spending was between Rs. 41 Lakh to Rs. 93 Lakh.
This indicated that the state had made an uneven distribution of the state share funds among the districts. Department stated that component-wise allotment of funds was not being made by higher authorities and utilisation of the State share was made on the basis of availability of funds. Reasons put forth by the State Water and Sanitation Mission (SWSM) as well as District Water and Sanitation Mission (DSWM) that the allotment made by the Ministry had not been on component-wise basis was not acceptable as the allocation made in the plans was earmarked for each component and the releases should have been made as per the percentage fixed in the plans for each component.
Inspections were not made during 2009-14. However, Budgam district had conducted four inspections during 2009-14 yet the reports of these inspections were either not available or were not produced to Audit. The eligible APL households were not identified by the Gram Panchayats as no preliminary survey had been conducted by the department during the period 2009-14. The beneficiaries listed for the purpose of the scheme were selected by the Panchayat Secretaries on yearly basis and not approved by the concerned Gram Sabhas.
Audit further observed that no separate provision of Individual Household Latrine (IHHLs) IHHLs for SC/ST/Other minorities was targeted in the state. In the absence of such provision/details, audit could not verify whether the amount of Rs. 18.57 crore (SC: Rs. 9.79 crore; ST: Rs. 8.78 crore) released by the government of India (GoI) for construction of Individual Household Latrine (IHHLs) for the vulnerable sections of the society was utilized for them only.
There was an overall shortfall of 80 percent in achievement of targets in APL categories of beneficiaries during the last five year period ended March 2014. In three blocks of two Districts (Ramban, Budgam), Community Sanitary Complex (CSCs) constructed at a cost of Rs. 0.22 crore were not put to use making the entire expenditure unproductive. On being pointed out, the BDOs stated that the CSCs would be put to use after them agency owning responsibility for maintenance of the infrastructure was identified.
In the selected Districts, the short fall in construction of the toilets for girls ranged between 40 per cent and 86 per cent, leaving 2196 co-educational schools without separate toilets for girls as on March 2014. There was shortfall in utilisation of the funds during the period 2009-14 ranging between 22 percent and 46 percent. |
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