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The audit report said that the amount of non -recovery of government dues from the department, state government, government bodies and private parties of the central government was Rs 19.05 crore.
New Delhi: The internal audit review of the Ministry of Water Power for 2023-24 has caught financial rigging of more than Rs 709 crore in major water and sanitation schemes. The report states that blocked money, unauthorized expenses, passive machinery and violation in procurement processes. According to the annual internal audit review, government funds worth Rs 525.96 crore are blocked. These include cases such as the untouched balance under the Atal Ground Water Scheme in Maharashtra and Haryana, as well as additional expenditure, irregular expenditure in states like Kerala and Bihar.
19.05 crore did not recover government dues
An irregular expenditure in the audit also revealed Rs 23.56 crore, which was mainly due to the expenditure from the accepted boundaries for administrative and IEC (information, education, communication) activities under SBM-G. In many cases, money was diverted for unqualified expenses. The audit report said that the amount of non -recovery of government dues from the department, state government, government bodies and private parties of the central government was Rs 19.05 crore. Overall, the internal audit branch of the ministry caught financial irregularities of Rs 70,925.02 lakh (Rs 709.25 crore) in its departments, including non -recovery of arrears, irregular expenditure and unused money.
1.32 crore machines found without use
In many regional offices, waste and damaged machinery worth Rs 1.32 crore was also found lying without use. At the end of the financial year, 3,752 audit paragings remained pending, which were more than 3,417 in the previous year. Even financial irregularities did not go away even after special camps were organized in June and July 2023 to settle pending cases. These are detailed descriptions that highlight areas with irregularities, non-transportation or improvement in the operation or financial records of an organization. The internal audit wing also quoted the lack of employees and lack of special training as key challenges. It is to be known that the total budget allocation for three schemes is Rs 7,192 crore for SBM-G, Rs 1,000 crore for Atal Ground Water Scheme and Rs 500 crore for National Water Science Project.
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