Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, Mar 18: The Social Welfare Department (SWD) is another State Government organization which is involved in financial irregularities worth crores of rupees.
These revelations have been made in CAG report for the year ending March 2013.
The report while castigating the Department revealed that it has conducted gross irregularities in violation of the provisions of the scheme guidelines.
The report pointed out that there were instances of unauthorized and irregular payments of scholarship for unrecognized courses and unaccepted computer centres worth Rs 9.24 crore, besides excess payment of scholarship Rs 25.34 lakh in violation of prescribed procedures. The Department after throwing the prescribed norms to winds has made payment of scholarships directly to the private computer institutions/ centres in contravention of the provision of the scheme, the report pointed out.
As per the report, post matric scholarship (PMS) to Schedule Tribes students, a GoI sponsored scheme with 100 percent Central assistance aims at providing financial assistance to the ST students studying at post matriculation or post secondary stage to enable them to complete their education.
The scheme provides for payment of maintenance allowance, reimbursement of non refundable compulsory fee charged by educational institutions, book bank facility and certain other allowances with the stipulation that the payment is to be made for pursued recognized post matriculation /post secondary course in recognized institutions. The scholarship holder under the scheme should not be the holder of any other scholarship/ stipend and the refundable deposits like caution money, security deposit do not form part of the fee paid under the scheme.
Under the scheme which is implemented in the State by Director Tribal Affairs through District Social Welfare offices an amount of Rs 33.99 crore was paid from 2008-09 to 2011-12. But the audit findings pointed out inadequate coverage of students as the Tribal Affairs Directorate out of 44,453 applications received from ST students during the period 2008-12 sanctioned scholarships in favour of 37,322 students only leaving 7131 students uncovered.
In another gross violation by the Department, irregular payment of Rs 4.26 crore was made by it to 20 computer institutions / centres where 2046 students have undertaken post –matriculation and post secondary course. As per the guidelines the scholarships are being paid to the students who have under gone these courses through recognized institutions. But the students have undergone the computer courses like DISM, DCA, CCCA and DLT from 20 computer institutions/ centres which were not authorized for undertaking these courses resulting in irregular payment of Rs 4.24 crore, report added.
Besides, the Department has made payment worth Rs 4.98 crore in favour of 2,342 students who had pursued computer courses viz CHM O level, O, A & B Level courses in private computer institutions without being registered in NELIT which is the main criteria for granting such scholarships. But the Department has overlooked this fact before sanctioning the scholarships, resulting in unauthorized payment of Rs 4.98 crore, report further revealed.
In addition to it excess payment of scholarships were made by the Department as fee to institutions, recognized boards for tribal students for their tuition, games, library, medical examination etc and scrutiny the audit revealed that Rs 25.34 lakh was given to 975 ST students.
The audit report reveals lack of internal control mechanism. It further revealed that failure of Social Welfare Department to take possession of the Nari Niketan complex at village Mangnar (Poonch) by the Department resulted in idle investment of Rs 92.14 lakh besides non- accrual of intended benefits to concerned orphans and widows.
Besides failure of the Department to ensure transfer/ acquisition of encumbrance free land before undertaking execution of a project for construction of an indoor complex / rifle shooting range –cum open play field at Nagrota, resulted in irregular expenditure of Rs 1.04 crore and blockage of funds of Rs 0.76 crore.
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