Vigilance recommends probe, fund recovery
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, February 24 2015:
The State Vigilance Commission has recommended the State Government to conduct a departmental enquiry against one Superintendent (P) of Youth Affairs and Sports (YAS) Department, and also to recover certain amount of fund from the particular SP(P) through a high power committee.
The recommendation is related with failure to obtain confirmation on administrative approval and expenditure sanction for sending State teams of different sports disciplines to other States, informed a well placed source.
A National sports championship of Panchayat Yuva Krida Aur Khel Abhiyan (PYKKA) was held at Anandpur and Chitradur towns of Punjab in 2009-10.In order to send a contingent of Manipur to the championship, Rs 8.90 lakh was released and encashed with due approval of the Chief Secretary who is also the Chairman of the PYKKA State Level Committee.
The amount was encashed under a condition that the same amount should be paid back after the budget sanction for the 2009-10's plan amount was obtained.
Discipline-wise allocation of fund for the State's contingent was Rs 2.47 lakh for badminton, football and table tennis (boys and girls), Rs 4.87 lakh for volleyball, kho-kho, kabbadi, archery and boxing (boys and girls) and Rs 1.56 lakh for handball (boys and girls) .
After encashing the released amount from Vijaya Bank, Thangal Bazar, the SP(P) who is also the Secretary of the PYKKA State Level Committee spent Rs 5,28,110 on volleyball, kho-kho, kabbadi, archery and boxing (boys and girls) teams and another Rs 1,56,000 on the State handball (boys and girls) teams.
As for the expenditures of badmiton, football and table tennis teams, they were met from another source.
A sum of Rs 2,05,890 which remained unutilized was kept with the SP(P) without permission of the competent authority, as per the findings of the Vigilance Commission.
Again the SP(P) did not apply in time for obtaining administrative approval and expenditure sanction for repayment of the amount utilized in sending the State contingent.
Yet, the SP(P) submitted APR and voucher of Rs 6,84,110 .
Tickets, team manager's report and participation certificates about the championship are yet to be submitted to YAS Department and the unutilized amount has also been not returned.
Pointing out laxity on the part of the SP(P), the Vigilance Commission recommended the State Government to direct the high power committee headed by the Chief Secretary as chairman to investigate into the matter, award a major penalty to the SP(P) and recover the encashed amount from him/her under the Manipur Public Servants Personal Liability Act, conveyed the official.