The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) today pulled up the environment ministry for failing to implement its ambitious projects of afforestation, conservation of biodiversity, pollution control and spreading awareness among the people besides lack of monitoring and manpower.
The CAG report, which was tabled in Parliament, found that money allotted under various environmental schemes had been lying unused, and in a majority of projects targets were not achieved.
The audit, done for the period April 2008-March 2009, highlights issues relating to the adequacy and effectiveness of programmes, schemes and interventions made by the ministry to tackle important environmental issues like deforestation, biodiversity and pollution control.
In afforestation, the report found that more than 93 per cent of the projects did not achieve their objectives, thereby seriously impacting the efforts to increase the tree cover in the country.
In the last seven years till 2009, the National Afforestation and Eco-Development Board (NAEB) had released Rs47.3 crore to the agencies for implementing 647 afforestation schemes but only 3.57 per cent and 23 per cent of the total projects sanctioned to NGOs and state forest departments and agencies could be completed, the report noted. At the same time, it did not rule out the possibility of fraud as many agencies did not come back to NAEB for release of further instalments.
The report also contains 37 specific recommendations, which according to CAG, will enable the executive to take corrective action as also frame policies and directives that will lead to improved environmental governance.
CAG also noted that there was a huge pendency of the utilisation certificates totalling 7,196 amounting to a staggering Rs596.79 crore outstanding till March this year, indicating lack of monitoring and follow-up system in the ministry.
Besides, CAG also pulled up the ministry’s National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) for failing to notify important regulations governing access to bio-diversity, transfer of results of research and intellectual property rights even six years after its formation.
The audit body also pulled up the ministry for poor implementation of the ecocity programme initiated by the Central Pollution Control Board in six cities, saying Rs1.88 crore was lying unspent with state pollution control boards for seven years. On environmental education, the CAG said the National Museum of Natural History failed to live up to achieve former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s dream to promote environmental education all over the country and did not develop any museum- based projects. Similarly, the CAG picked holes in a project undertaken to control pollution caused by leather tanneries in West Bengal where the Ministry sanctioned interest-free loan of Rs67.72 crore to the state government. The report said that even after 12 years, the project has not been completed thus failing to ensure safe disposal of toxic industrial effluents in the river and water bodies.
