MUMBAI, March 26 -- The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), in a report on works under the central Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA), said that 2.572 million projects were approved in Maharashtra but only 52.81% were completed. The CAG report, covering the years 2019-20 to 2023-24, was presented in the state legislature on Wednesday. Elaborating on the incomplete projects, the report says that around 710,000 of these projects had not even begun by March. Of the 503,000 (19.57%) incomplete works, 107,000 (21%) were pending completion for more than three years. Rs.6,725.65 crore was spent on the completed works under MGNREGA 2005 from 2019-20 to 2023-24 and Rs.5,361.02 crore on the incomplete works. As per MGNREGA norms, work has to be provided within 15 days of a worker registering for the scheme or the date on which the work has been demanded. If the work cannot be provided as per demand within the specified timeframe, the registered households are supposed to get an unemployment allowance. "The audit observed that out of an amount of Rs.34.85 lakh due as unemployment allowance during the period 2019-20 to 2023-24 in the state, only Rs.2,268 was paid and Rs.34.83 lakh was unpaid," states the CAG report. The report also observes that the social audit of the works by the gram panchayats undertaken under the scheme was deficient, with shortfalls ranging between 72.43% and 95.67% of gram panchayats. It also points out that of Rs.11.22 crore to be recovered in 1,084 misappropriation cases action for recovery in 314 cases amounting to Rs.4.44 crore was pending. "In reply, the Director, SAU (Social Audit Unit), stated (in June 2024) that the fund received from GOI (Government of India) for conducting a social audit was less than one-third of the fund actually required for the year, due to which the SA conducted was less than planned," says the CAG report. Thus, not only was the fund from GOI insufficient to conduct social audits but the fund transferred by the state government to SAU was less. Thus, SA, which is an institutionalised mechanism for continuous public vigilance of the scheme to ensure public accountability in the implementation of projects, suffered due to paucity of funds." The CAG report pointed out an ineffective monitoring system. While a council had been constituted to monitor the implementation of MGNREGA it did not hold regular meetings....