The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has reported today that infructuous expenditures by several departments of the Bihar government costed the state exchequer hundreds of crore.
Its report, which was tabled on Thursday in the state assembly, found several cases of non compliance of rules, wasteful expenditures, irregular expenditures and lack of oversight in government schemes. The major one was found in the Rural Works Department, which is responsible for construction of rural roads in the state.
The report states, "Irregular award of works worth Rs 853.45 crore to ineligible contractors resulted in dismal implementation of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna (PMGSY) in seven divisions. Even after a lapse of 2-to-22 months from the stipulated dates of completions, not even a single road was fully completed after incurring expenditure of Rs 119.77 crore."
The government auditor also slammed the state government on the imprudent decision to invest the funds of Rs 268.71 crore under the Mukhya Mantri Kanya Suraksha Yojna in a mutual fund without instituting any monitoring mechanism, which exposed the scheme to market risks.
