THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has uncovered irregularities and suspected fraud in the installation of Reverse Osmosis (RO) water purifiers in government schools, resulting in a misuse of Rs 46.13 lakh. The CAG report, presented in the assembly on Thursday, highlighted the purchase of water purifiers at inflated prices.
The project, initiated by the Thiruvananthapuram corporation and carried out by the Kudumbashree district mission, aimed to provide clean drinking water to schools. In the 2020-21 annual plan, the corporation allocated Rs 1 crore from its development fund to Kudumbashree for the installation of RO water purifiers in schools with piped water supply from Kerala Water Authority (KWA).
According to the CAG, the water purifiers were purchased for Rs 12,400 per unit, while the same model was available for Rs 7,999. The project’s estimated cost was Rs 99.94 lakh, targeting the installation of 467 units across 135 schools within three months.
The project was assigned to Nanma Yuvashree Group, a micro-enterprise (ME) unit of Kudumbashree, for Rs 21,400 per unit.
The audit scrutiny revealed various issues in the project’s execution, including the lack of transparency in awarding contracts. The project was awarded to the Nanma Yuvashree Group without seeking proposals from other Kudumbashree groups, in violation of the Stores Purchase Manual 2013 and orders from the state government issued in May 2015.
Additionally, the audit identified Rs 4.28 lakh in unfruitful expenditure due to the non-installation or idling of water purifiers in 14 schools. The audit report noted that several units remained unused, undermining the initiative’s effectiveness and resulting in the wastage of public funds.
More findings
Audit scrutiny revealed various issues in the project’s execution, including the lack of transparency in awarding contracts
It also identified I4.28 lakh in unfruitful expenditure due to the non-installation or idling of water purifiers in 14 schools