VIJAYAWADA: The Centre on Tuesday said that Andhra Pradesh, after bifurcation, incurred an excess expenditure of Rs 1,62,828.70 crore pertaining to the year 2014-15 to 2018-19, and that it was yet to be regularised.
Union MoS Finance Pankaj Chaudhary was responding to TDP MP Kanakamedala Ravindra Kumar's query on whether the Centre has taken note of the fact that Andhra Pradesh incurred an expenditure of Rs 1,10,5099 crore directly from the Consolidated Fund of the State without the approval of the State Legislature.
Chaudhary said, "As per the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India on State Finances Audit Report for year ended March 31, 2020, after bifurcation of the State, an excess expenditure of Rs 1,62,828.70 crore pertaining to the year 2014-15 to 2018-19 occurred which was yet to be regularized."
"As per the Report, Explanatory Notes (ENs) were furnished for only an amount of Rs 51,677.74 crore against Rs 1,62,828.70 crore by the concerned Administrative Departments/Finance Department of the State to the CAG for excess expenditure requiring regularization relating to the years 2014-15 to 2018-19," he said.
Pankaj Chaudhary stated that as per Article 205 of the Constitution of India, it is mandatory for a State Government to get the excess over a grant/appropriation regularised by the State Legislature. "Also, as per the report, the excess expenditure is to be regularised after discussion of the appropriation accounts by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the State. For this purpose, the departments concerned are required to submit Explanatory Notes (ENs) for excess expenditure to the PAC through the State Finance Department," the Union minister said.
The TDP MP asked whether the Centre has taken note of the fact that Andhra Pradesh incurred an expenditure of Rs 1,10,5099 crore directly from the Consolidated Fund of the State without the approval of the State Legislature, which is a blatant violation of Articles 204 and 205 of the Constitution of India.
Meanwhile, AP Industries, Commerce and IT Minister Gudivada Amarnath said the previous TDP government’s financial mismanagement during 2014 to 2019 was confirmed by the Union Government in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.
"The TDP's false narrative against the YSRC was exposed in the Rajya Sabha when the Union Minister of State for Finance hinted that TDP is the reason for financial troubles in Andhra Pradesh," Amarnath said.