Govt yet to submit UCs of Rs 9999.27 Cr
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, April 07 2022:
Claiming that the Government of Manipur has not been submitting a total of 6,885 outstanding Utilization Certificates (UCs), amounting to Rs 9,999.27 crore in total since 2008-09 till 2019-20, social researcher Serto Tondanang has appealed to the State Government to come out with a strong policy to pick up all the pending UCs in the shortest terms.
At a press meet held at Manipur Press Club, Majorkhul today, Serto Tondanang pointed out that the total number of UCs for 38 State Government departments from 2008-09 till 2018-19 as per the latest CAG report (State Finance Audit Report of CAG of India ending March 31, 2020) is 6,885 which is worth Rs 9,999.27 crore in total.
Detailing the CAG report, the social researcher claimed that the Rural Development & Panchayati Raj (Rs 3,936.30 crore), Development of Tribals & Other Backward Classes (Rs 2,686.22 crore), Power (Rs 696.41 crore), Education (S) (Rs 689.63 crore), Medical & Health Services (Rs 528.85 crore), Planning Department (Rs 355.95 crore), MAHUD (Rs 301.00 crore), Education (U) (Rs 283.31 crore), Horticulture & Soil Conservation (Rs 98.64 crore) and Forest Department (Rs 78.81 crore) are the top ten departments which have not yet submitted the maximum number of UCs.
While pointing out that the annual round about increase in the number of outstanding UCs from 2016-17 till 2019-20 is above one thousand mark, Serto Tondanang also noted that there is a mark increase of over Rs 2000 crore every year in terms of outstanding amounts during the same financial years for which UCs were not submitted.
He also said that Food & Civil Supplies is the only State Government Department which has zero outstanding UC.
Saying that facing such a huge number of outstanding UCs amounting to thousands of crores as detailed in the CAG report implies lack of transparency and accountability in the functioning of the Government departments, he added that the trend witnessed in the State's financial report is very unhealthy and pose a grave threat to development of the State.
He then appealed to the Chief Minister and his Cabinet colleagues to initiate a mission like that of "War on Drugs" to ensure that the UCs pending with 38 departments are submitted at the earliest.
Mention may be made that Serto Tondanang has been conducting research works on various economic and social aspects, including analysis of annual CAG reports and the weight and measures that are being used in shops and vendors in markets.