BHUBANESWAR: The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has pulled up the state government for not giving due importance to rural electrification and water supply projects under Gopabandhu Gramin Yojana (GGY).
The main objectives of the GGY are to improve rural infrastructure and provide pucca road, water supply and electricity to every villages. The scheme envisages to prepare five year perspective plan and annual action plan.
Scrutiny of records of District Rural development Agencies of Jagatsingpur, Bhadrak and Balasore districts revealed that district plans were not prepared and annual action plans were finalised at block levels in consultation with MLAs concerned.
Annual action plans of nine panchayat samitis were prepared without holding gram sabhas and district level committee failed to prioritise projects. As a result, roads, irrigation and electrification projects required for each of the gram panchayat for three financial yeas from 2012-13 to 2014-15 could not be chalked out, said the annual technical inspection report of the CAG for for year ending March 2015..
As per the 2013 guidelines, at least 60 percent of the the allocated funds to be spent on cement concrete roads and the balance 40 percent should be utilised on electrification and water supply.
The audit found out that expenditure on electrification and water supply was negligible where as entire funds were utilised on road sector.
Jagatsingpur district received Rs 57.58 crore during thre three financial year. While expenditure on rural road was 99.6 percent, not a single water supply project was taken up.
Similar was the expenditure pattern in Bhadrak district. The district which received Rs 57.51 crore utilised 94.6 percent of the allocation on road construction. The expenditure on rural electrification was 5.4 percent. The district administration did not give any attention to supply of safe water to the villages.
Fund allocation during this period to Balasore district was Rs 63.73 crore. Nearly 88 percent of the allocation was utilised on road construction and 12 percent on electrification.
The audit further pointed out irregularity in payment of Rs 9 crore to Central Electricity Supply Utility (CESU) and North Easter Electricity Supply Company (NESCO) for rural electrification.
The two power distribution companies were provided Rs 3 crore each for replacement of burnt transformers. However, the number of transformers replaced in the two district were less than what was approved, the report said.