₹2.03 crore avoidable interest liability in Uttarakhand MGNREGS, CAG finds

Who it concerns: Government of Uttarakhand; MGNREGS implementation agencies including Gram Panchayats, Blocks, Districts, and the State Employment Guarantee Council.

What the auditor found

• Avoidable interest liability of ₹2.03 crore due to delays in releasing Central and State shares to the State Employment Guarantee Fund.
• Outstanding liability of ₹122.40 crore for wages and materials.
• Financial burden of ₹44.46 crore not borne by the State Government as required.
• None of the selected Gram Panchayats conducted mandatory annual door-to-door surveys during 2019-24.
• 39% of sampled Job Cards lacked photographs and 25% lacked updated work date information.
• Only 1-4% of households received the full entitlement of 100 days of work.
• Complaint registers were not maintained at Dy. District Programme Co-ordinators' offices and selected Blocks.
• Vigilance cells were absent at the state, selected district, and village levels.
• Shortfall in conducting social audits ranged between 79% and 99% in selected districts.
• Corrective measures were taken for only 59% (52,173 out of 88,915) of social audit observations raised during 2019-2024.

Also in the document

• CAG found that despite statutory provisions, unemployment allowances were not paid and compensation for delayed wage payments was rarely approved.
• CAG noted that original Muster Rolls were often unavailable after work initiation, raising concerns over the accuracy of wage disbursement.
• CAG reported that the State Employment Guarantee Council did not function effectively, with key positions remaining vacant and technical committees absent.