New Delhi, March 28 -- The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has highlighted financial irregularities under the previous Delhi government, revealing the non-submission of bills and utilisation certificates worth thousands of crores, posing a potential risk of fund misuse. The report, presented in the Delhi Assembly, has been referred to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) for further investigation.

Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta, addressing the House, stated, "In the Financial Accounts for the year 2021-2022, the CAG found that an amount of Rs.432.42 crore was outstanding due to non-submission of bills by government departments. In the year 2022-2023, this amount increased to Rs.574.89 crore."

He explained that since the bills were not submitted, it was impossible to verify whether the funds were utilised as approved by the Legislative Assembly. Additionally, the CAG flagged the non-submission of Utilisation Certificates (UCs) amounting to Rs.9,314.85 crore as of March 31, 2023. "This poses a serious risk of fund misuse," Gupta warned. The CAG also uncovered a substantial lapse of funds due to delayed surrender. "In the Appropriation Accounts for the year 2021-2022, the total saving was Rs.10,539 crore, out of which Rs.5,458 crore lapsed. In 2022-2023, the total saving was Rs.14,115.71 crore, with Rs.7,557.47 crore lapsing due to delayed surrender," he said. Thespeakerr criticised the previous administration for allegedly withholding these critical financial reports from the Assembly. "Surprisingly, like other reports, these reports were also suppressed by the previous government and not brought before the Legislative Assembly," he remarked.

He stressed that had the government planned and implemented its budget efficiently, the funds could have been used for public welfare. "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," Gupta said.

The Speaker assured that the matter would be thoroughly examined. "As provided in our rules, these accounts will be examined by the Public Accounts Committee. The scrutiny by the Legislative

Assembly and the PAC will ensure proper accounting of our finances and ensure that government funds are not misused," he concluded.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.