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The Comptroller and Auditor General of India has criticised the Tripura government for financial irregularities, increase in public debt and unrealistic budget estimates.

The CAG report for the year ended March 31, 1996, which was placed in the ongoing session of the state assembly, said expenditure totalling Rs 72.5 million was incurred by eight government departments on execution of various schemes without any budget provision during 1995-96.

The report said unrealistic budget estimates, deficiency in monitoring of expenditure, non-compliance with the provisions of the delegation of financial powers rules by controlling officers for the public works department, non-observance of regulatory procedure in the finance department, and tendency to draw funds not immediately required contributed to chronic and persistent excess in expenditure over the sanctioned grants for the public works department.

The state government invested Rs 162.5 million during the financial year 1995-96 in statutory corporations, government companies and cooperative banks and societies, taking the total investment by the government at Rs 1.22 billion as of March 1996, the report said, adding that no dividend or interest was received on such investment.

The CAG report said assets of the state government increased from Rs 9.18 billion in 1991-92 to Rs 14.92 billion in 1995-96. The liabilities increased by 55 per cent from Rs 6.12 billion to Rs 9.48 billion during the same period.

The CAG report said non-observance of rules regarding submission of detailed counter-signed contingent bills by the deputy director, agriculture (south), Udaipur, resulted in undue financial aid of Rs 1.08 million to the private supplier. Failure to maintain the basic standards of civil construction and lack effective remedial measures rendered the investment of Rs 6 million on the cold storage plant at Bikhora in south Tripura district unfruitful, it added.

The CAG said engagement of labourers without assessment of actual requirement and ignoring the viability aspect of the orchards before making such engagements as also failure of the agriculture department to solve the problems of discontinuation and rehabilitation of excess labourers even after a lapse of more than two years resulted in infructuous expenditure of Rs 17.16 million.

There was an undue and unauthorised financial aid of Rs 4.14 million made by the animal resource development department to the Tripura Cooperative Milk Producers Union Limited (a non-government body) towards payment and allowances of staff beyond the agreed period, the report said.

The report said non-recovery of loans of Rs 3 million by the cooperative department even after lapse of more than 16 years from the date of repayment was tantamount to providing undue and unauthorised financial benefit to a marketing society to the tune of Rs 11.82 million, inclusive of Rs 8.82 million in the form of interest.

Premature acceptance of loan of Rs 5 million by the home department from the General Insurance Corporation of India without finalising the required formalities to make the purchase of fire fighting equipment within six months of withdrawal as per terms of loan and payment of interest of Rs 2.14 million on such unutilised loans proved injudicious, it said.

The investment of Rs 15.73 million made by the industries department in a private tea garden taken over the government without safeguarding its interest against probable loss resulted in undue financial aid worth Rs 2.73 million to the owner of the garden together with the loss of public money amounting to Rs 8.53 million.

The housing subsidy of Rs 2.24 million under minimum needs programme was paid to 1120 beneficiaries by the rural development department in Sadar sub-division, Agartala, during 1993-94 and Rs 1.98 million were paid to 991 people not eligible for the grant, the CAG report said.

UNI