PUDUCHERRY: Principal Accountant General (Audit - II) R Thiruppathi Venkatasamy presented the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India's audit reports on Puducherry’s finances, public health infrastructure, solid waste management, and compliance audit findings during a press meet at the Chief Secretariat on Wednesday.
The reports, covering the financial year ending March 2023 and performance audits up to 2022, were tabled in the Puducherry Legislature on the same day.
Thirupathi stated, "The Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) at current prices grew at an average annual rate of 8.42%, increasing from Rs 34,171 crore in 2018-19 to Rs 47,487 crore in 2022-23. Expenditure on interest payments, salaries, and pensions constituted 55-59% of the revenue expenditure between 2018-19 and 2022-23. It increased by Rs 1,223 crore, rising from Rs 3,740 crore in 2018-19 to Rs 4,963 crore in 2022-23."
He added that the UT government incurred an expenditure of Rs 10,809.42 crore against the budget provision of Rs 11,685.87 crore in 2022-23. On the performance of UT Public Sector Undertakings (UTPSUs), he said, "Of the total Rs 43.80 crore profit earned by five UTPSUs, 94.95% was contributed by three PSUs. Seven UTPSUs reported losses amounting to Rs 49.62 crore, leading to a net loss of Rs 5.82 crore."
The audit on public health services from 2016 to 2022 highlighted deficiencies in infrastructure, staffing, and service delivery. "The sanctioned strength of doctors, nurses, and paramedical staff in tertiary care institutions was inadequate as per Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS). As of March 2022, there was a 26% shortfall in paramedical staff. While the number of doctors and nurses in the Government Hospital, Puducherry, exceeded the requirement, other hospitals faced shortages, indicating uneven manpower distribution," he said.
He further stated, "Essential services such as accident and trauma care, burn wards, dialysis, full-scale radiology and pathology services were unavailable in test-checked health facilities. Equipment for physiotherapy and occupational therapy remained unused."
Speaking on the primary and secondary healthcare, he said, "Against the required 53 Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and 14 Community Health Centres (CHCs), only 44 PHCs and 4 CHCs were available. Several PHCs were operating from dilapidated buildings with inadequate space, lack of residential accommodation, and absence of essential facilities."
Adding that there was a 37% shortfall in the coverage of beneficiaries under Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, he said, "None of the hospitals in the UT had applied for accreditation by the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers."
The audit found that the Local Administration Department (LAD) and urban local bodies (ULBs) had not prepared short-term or long-term plans for solid waste management. The report stated, "Despite SWM Manual guidelines prohibiting waste handling without protective equipment, most sanitation workers engaged in manual waste handling were not provided with or did not use protective gear."
The report also pointed out that due to non-compliance with SWM Rules, the National Green Tribunal imposed an environmental compensation of Rs 96 lakh for the period from April 2020 to December 2022.
The compliance audit found that four PSUs - PASIC, PAPSCO, PRTC, and PTDC - had accumulated losses amounting to Rs 388.51 crore as of March 31, 2022. "The government paid Rs 7.86 crore in rent-free accommodation allowances in contravention of Government of India guidelines," said the report.
Responding to a question about delays in presenting the reports, officials stated that the auditing, reviewing, and approval process takes time. "Our reports will be discussed by the committees of the assembly for further action, and we will provide additional inputs. They will decide on further actions against officials and organizations," said Thirupathi Venkatasamy.