Assembly refers CAG reports on finance, appropriation accounts of previous AAP govt for PAC probe

The CAG reports on finance and appropriation accounts of the previous AAP government in Delhi, revealing non-submission of bills and utilisation certificates worth hundreds of crores of rupees and risk of fund misuse, referred on Friday to the Assembly's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) for investigation.

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Wednesday tabled the reports in the Assembly, Finance Accounts and Appropriation Accounts of the Delhi government for the financial years 2021-22 and 2022-23.

Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta said that in the Financial Accounts for the year 2021-2022, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) found that an amount of Rs 432.42 crore was outstanding due to non-submission of bills by government departments, It means there was no way to confirm whether the amount was actually spent as approved by the Legislative Assembly. In the year 2022-2023, this amount was Rs 574.89 crore, he said.

"The CAG has also expressed concern over the non-submission of Utilization Certificates for an amount of Rs 9,314.85 crore as of March 31, 2023, which poses a serious risk of fund misuse," he said addressing the House.

The Finance Accounts and Appropriation Accounts are thoroughly scrutinized and audited by the CAG and then presented to the concerned Legislative Assembly.

"Surprisingly, like other reports, these reports were also suppressed by the previous government and not brought before the Legislative Assembly," the Speaker said.

In the Appropriation Accounts for the year 2021-2022, the CAG reported that there was a total saving of Rs 10,539 crore, out of which Rs 5,458 crore lapsed due to delayed surrender. Similarly, in the year 2022-2023, there was a total saving of Rs 14,115.71 crore, out of which ?7,557.47 crore lapsed due to delayed surrender.

"This implies that if the government had planned and implemented properly, this amount could have been used for the welfare of the people of Delhi," he observed.

The Speaker said the CAG reports will be examined by the PAC to ensure proper accounting of the finances and ensure that government funds are not misused.