The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has castigated the State government for making “unrealistic” budgetary assumptions and putting in place “weak” expenditure monitoring and control mechanisms in 2012-13.
The report of the CAG on State finances for the said year, which was tabled in the Assembly on Thursday, said the entire supplementary provision of Rs. 10,990 crore proved unnecessary, as the actual expenditure of Rs. 1,30,704 crore was less than the original budget provision of Rs. 1,46,243 crore. The overall savings of Rs. 26,528 crore stood at 17 per cent of the budget.
Despite flagging the issue repeatedly, an excess expenditure of Rs. 276 crore was incurred during 2012-13 without Legislative authorisation. Regularisation of such expenditure since 2004-05, amounting to Rs. 2,876 crore, is yet to be carried out by the government by taking legislative approval.
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Several policy initiatives taken up by the government were either unfulfilled or partially executed, thanks to non-approval of scheme guidelines, non-commencement of works for want of administrative sanction, non-release of budget and parking of funds in banks and fixed deposits.
The report also said that the State government had achieved revenue surplus for the seventh consecutive year. Overall, revenue expenditure was less than the budget estimates by 8.58 per cent, while there were savings of 24.15 per cent in respect of capital expenditure.