No CAG audit of major schemes in W.B. since 2021 says RTI activist

W.B. government stonewalled several attempts of audit by CAG over the past few years

On February 8, the Ministry of Education asked the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) to conduct a special audit on the alleged misuse of funds from the PM Poshan Scheme in West Bengal over the past three years. Only a few weeks ago, the Calcutta High Court gave directions to add CAG as a party to public interest litigation of the State finances.

 Over the past few years, allegations of corruption in central and state social welfare schemes have come to the fore. In at least two major schemes like the MGNREGA and PM Awas Yojana the Union Government has sent several central schemes to look into the allegations of corruption and misuse of public funds.

 Biswanath Goswami, a socio-legal researcher, and RTI activist who has been keenly following audits conducted by CAG in West Bengal said that not a single major social security scheme and project funded by the State government or Centre has been audited by CAG in the State since 2011.

Mr. Goswami cited several instances where the West Bengal government had stonewalled attempts by the CAG to audit key schemes. For instance, in the year 2017, the CAG had written to the Women and Child Development Department for an audit of ‘Kanyashree Prakalpa’. In a letter dated 13.02. 2017 the State Government expressed its inability to furnish relevant records of Kanyashree Prakalpa due to “privacy and security”. In the same case, CAG sought data and relevant records from State’s Chief Secretary on 30.03. 2017 and later observed that nothing has been received from the department.

 Kanyashree Prakalpa, a cash incentive scheme for school girls was started by West Bengal in 2013 and the beneficiaries of the scheme are about ₹81 lakh. Till the financial year 2019-20, the State government had already spent ₹8277.6 crore for its implementation. In the year 2022-23, the State government’s allocation for the scheme was ₹1866.2 crore.

In another instance involving the digitization of ration cards a request by CAG on 02.09.2016 to the Secretary Food and Supplies Department seeking an audit was turned down. The document also points out that CAG also approached Chief Secretary 30.03. 2017 but no audit could be conducted.