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PAC to grill SSA over fiasco

KT NEWS SERVICE. Dated: 8/13/2012 12:42:59 AM

SRINAGAR, Aug12: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has taken a strong note of alleged misappropriation and non-utilization of funds by the authorities in centrally Sponsored scheme-Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and decided to call a meeting with concerned officials on Monday to review the scenario.
Sources told Kashmir Times that PAC headed by MLA Pahalgham, Rafi Ahmad Mir would meet the SSA officials on tomorrow in forenoon to inquire about the allegations.
They said the panel would question officials about the inefficiency and non- utilization of a huge amount of Rs 379 crores released by Government of India (GoI) besides allegations of “illegal” recruitments and misappropriation of funds.
Even though the meeting was scheduled to be held last Monday, sources said the authorities got it postponed while citing some engagements.
“Today they again called some panel members and urged to postpone it for some other excuses. However, the panel refused and decided to meet tomorrow,” sources said.
They said the failure of authorities to submit the utilisation certificate to the GoI which results the fund block to state would also be discussed.
“Huge funds were diverted illegally in the sector. Besides, against SSA norms, School Grant Maintenance (SMG) were paid to rented schools in some districts. The panel would seek answers to these questions,” sources added.
According to sources, the panel would also ask authorities to explain the “illegal fund diversion”.
The panel chairman, Mir while admitting their meeting with SSA officials said that the meeting is to enquire about the allegations published in local newspapers about the SSA.
“Lots of reports about misappropriation of funds, non–utilisation of money and the illegal recruitments would be core thrust of our meeting,” he said. He said the recent report of Comptroller Audit General (CAG) also pointed towards various serious issues in SSA like official inefficiency and casual approach by the department in implementing the scheme.
He said that all the news stories published in newspapers and the reports of the CAG would be discussed with the authorities.
“We have learnt that a huge balance of Rs 379 crore has remained unspent in SSA in last few years and that is a serious concern,” he said.
The other members of the panel are Syed Basharat Bukhari, MLA Sangrama, Vijay Bakaya, Bashir Ahmad, P Namgyal and some others.
Pertinently, the performance of state has comes under severe criticism during a Project Approval Board (PAB) meeting held in New Delhi this April.
During the board meeting, the GoI have asked state government to produce the district and project wise spillover details for the approval and release of spillover of 2011-12 amounting Rs 6839.383 lakhs. However, such details, according to sources, were not produced.