₹9,122 crore unsanctioned expenditure in Indian Railways, CAG finds
This audit examines the financial health, appropriation accounts, and performance of public sector enterprises of the Ministry of Railways (Indian Railways) for the year ended March 2024.
Ministry of Railways (Indian Railways) and its Public Sector Enterprises
- Under-provisioning for depreciation resulted in a backlog of renewal and replacement works for over-aged assets estimated at ₹ 30,921 crore.
- Unsanctioned expenditure of ₹ 9,122.24 crore was incurred across 1,999 cases.
- Additional expenditure of ₹ 9,797.26 crore was incurred in excess of the sanctioned budget under Revenue Grant.
- Savings of ₹ 50,694.82 crore were recorded in five specific budget cases where savings exceeded ₹ 100 crore each.
- Misclassification of expenditure was found between Revenue and Capital Grants, and between Voted and Charged sections.
- Railtel did not have a separate policy for e-waste disposal and disposed of old batteries in a manner that may not ensure handling by authorized recyclers.
- CAG recommended the Ministry to analyze passenger operation costs, diversify freight earnings, address the asset renewal backlog, and regularize unsanctioned expenditure.
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Document details
| Official title | Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India for the year ended March 2024 Union Government Ministry of Railways Report No. 3 of 2026 (Railway Finances) |
| Source body | Comptroller & Auditor General of India (CAG) — audit reports |
| Reference number | Report No. 3 of 2026 |
| Status | None (audit_report) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Closing date | — |
| Documents | 1 |