CAG report slams Himachal Government for failure to provide quality school uniform

Tribune News Service

Shimla, March 15

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report for 2019-2020 has crticised the Education Department for its failure to provide quality uniform cloth to students of government schools due to improper planning, resulting in a loss of Rs 1.73 crore to the exchequer.

Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, who also holds the finance portfolio, tabled the CAG report in the House. The report dwells at length on the failure of the authorities in completing the formalities for supply order, resulting in students not getting the uniform in 2018-19 and almost 11 months taken to distribute uniform cloth in 2016-18 and 2019-20.

“Assigning testing of samples of uniform cloth to the same laboratory without calling tenders resulted in an irregular expenditure of Rs 1.73 crore,” the report read.

The CAG report has also made remarks about the failure of the Health and Family Welfare Department to establish envisaged trauma centres in five hospitals even after spending Rs 10.61 crore. There was further idling of Rs 7.81 crore with these hospital authorities for 30 to 57 months, it points out.

The report also dwelt on the award of a lump sum contract with incorrect scope of work and unjustified item rates resulting in undue favour of Rs 19.52 crore to the firm by the Jal Shakti Department in the Phina Singh irrigation project in Kangra district.

The report also made a reference to the failure of the Public Works Department in obtaining timely forest clearance and the delay in providing blasting material, resulting in an infructuous expenditure of Rs 2.15 crore on abandoned road work. “Unauthorised execution of a high rate item led to undue favour of Rs 53 lakh to the contractor, besides depriving the people of the intended benefits,” it said.

HPMC didn’t utilise automation project

The CAG report also mentions Himachal Pradesh Horticultural Produce Marketing and Processing Corporation Limited spending Rs7.82 crore on the process automation project without utilising it, while an additional liability of Rs2.74 crore was still pending.

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