CHENNAI: The Comptroller and Auditor-General of India (CAG) has unearthed a whopping 55,296 uncashed cheques gathering dust for periods of up to 30 years costing State exchequer a revenue loss of Rs 69.30 crore. As per information furnished by seven Pay and Accounts Offices (PAOs), reviewed and audited by CAG whose State finance report was tabled in the Assembly on Saturday, no follow-up action was taken on the time-barred cheques for decades.
Of these, about 9,671 cheques worth Rs 11.03 cr are lying idle for more than 20 years. As per an age-wise profile, the highest number of cases fall between the period of 10 to 20 years and the value of cheques was Rs 39.98 cr. In the last five years ending March, 2018, a total of 1,256 cases of uncashed cheques worth Rs 10.93 cr are recorded.
The PAO manual and rule 49 of Tamil Nadu Treasury Code specify that in cases where cheques are not encashed within three months of their issue, the payees should be notified that cheques have been time-barred and obtain fresh cheques.
CAG finds deficiencies in ECS payments
The CAG said: “No action was taken by the government to resolve these long-pending issues.”
CAG also found deficiencies in payments made through Electronic Clearance Service (ECS) for direct benefit transfer, payments of salaries, wages etc. As per 2017 guidelines issued by Commissioner of Treasuries and Accounts, if the beneficiaries are not traceable, the unclaimed amount lying for more than three months should be remitted back into the account of the government.
However, returned Electronic Clearance Service (ECS) payments, pertaining to 22,698 cases amounting to Rs 5.55 cr, were kept pending in PAOs. For instance, in respect of PAO, High Court returned Electronic Clearance Service (ECS) payments amounting to Rs 10 lakh was pending from 2010-11, CAG report said.
This apart, there are 363 cases of misappropriation, shortages, theft and loss involving a total amount of Rs 14.94 crore pending disposal as on March 31, 2018. Among them, 181 cases involve departmental and criminal investigation and 274 cases are as old as 21 years and above.
‘Issues not resolved’
CAG said: “No action was taken by the government to resolve these long-pending issues.” It also found problems in payments made through the ECS