CAG finds ₹57.46 crore embezzlement in Haryana's Development & Panchayat Department

This audit examined the performance and compliance of the Government of Haryana's departments, specifically focusing on the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) and urban sewage management, for the period ended March 2024.

Who it concerns: Government of Haryana, including the Rural Development Department, Information, Public Relations and Languages Department, Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Department of School Education, Higher Education Department, Transport Department, and Development & Panchayat Department.

What the auditor found

• Suspected embezzlement of ₹ 57.46 crore in the Development & Panchayat Department and Treasuries & Accounts Department.
• Suspected embezzlement of ₹ 40.51 lakh in the Information, Public Relations and Languages Department.
• Payment of ₹ 6.37 crore on incomplete work at Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University.
• Suspected embezzlement of ₹ 3.95 lakh due to the use of the same vouchers twice in the Directorate of Secondary Education.
• Delayed payment of wages amounting to ₹ 2.69 crore for 794 muster rolls under MGNREGS, with delays ranging from one to 552 days.
• Wasteful expenditure on equipment and services in the Higher Education Department due to procurement without ensuring user requirements.
• Recommendations include ensuring bottom-up planning for MGNREGS, maintaining basic records, strengthening social audit manpower, and verifying outcomes before releasing payments for incubators and projects.

Also in the document

• CAG reported a suspected embezzlement of ₹ 57.46 crore involving the Development & Panchayat Department and Treasuries & Accounts Department.
• CAG found that 68 to 79 per cent of households under MGNREGS received employment for less than 50 days, while only one to three per cent completed 100 days or more.
• CAG noted that 43 per cent of MGNREGS beneficiaries were unaware of their wage entitlements and 31 per cent were unaware of the minimum 100 days of employment guarantee.
• CAG identified that the State Employment Guarantee Council did not perform its prescribed monitoring and steering functions, and there were 100 per cent vacancies for social audit manpower at district and block levels.