Rs. 30 crore spent on buying faulty equipment in tribal schools: CAG

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has picked glaring holes in the planning and implementation of Maharashtra’s tribal sub-plan, with purchases of faulty solar water heaters and biometric attendance systems (BAS) causing loss to the tune of Rs. 30 crore.

The performance audit of the tribal scheme revealed that the tribal development department did not prepare any long-term plans for empowerment of tribal students, and that money was disbursed without any physical targets.

The CAG found that despite the department spending Rs. 1,730 crore between 2010 and 2015, the admission in the ashram shalas showed a drastic decline.

It also pointed out lack of teaching staff and adequate nutritious food, lopsided catering services and poor amenities as some of the other lacunae in tribal schools.

The CAG report said, “The department still had an unspent fund of Rs. 129.5 crore at all levels, of which Rs. 33.46 crore pertained to various educational schemes.”

The CAG found waste of Rs. 21.43 crore spent on purchasing 1,746 solar water heaters, which were supplied to 425 tribal schools and 79 hostels. A scrutiny of records in four divisions — Amravati, Nagpur, Nashik and Thane — revealed that 1,331 heaters (76 per cent) were lying in an unserviceable condition due to damage of panels, pipelines, and want of other repairs. “This also deprived the inmates of hot water facilities, especially during the winter season. The secretary of the tribal department has said that an inquiry is under way and appropriate action will be soon taken,” the report said.

The CAG found that a private agency supplied and installed 3,177 biometric systems between July 2011 and July 2013, of which only 1,357 were working. “Despite these inadequacies, officials in Nashik released Rs. 8.38 crore to the agency.”

For the audit, the CAG had selected 52 shalas with a sanctioned strength of 27,470 students.

However, only 796 toilets and 704 bathrooms were available, which implies that, on an average, only one toilet was available for every 35 students. “In some shalas, there were no bathrooms. As a result, boys had no option but to defecate in the open, while the girls were using common toilets for women in the village.”