NRHM funds grossly misused in Madhya Pradesh

Bhopal, June 14, 2012 (HMNS) : The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has raised serious objections over the misuse of funds allocated to the Madhya Pradesh Government under the National Rural health Mission (NRHM). In a letter to the Mission Director of NRHM, the CAG has asked to explain as how nearly `70 crore was spent without provision or Central Government’s permission from 2009 to 2012.

The letter further asked how equipment worth Rs. 662.38 lakh and `1,000 lakh purchased without any provision in budget. During the test check for the audit report for the period of 2009-10 to 2011-12 it was observed that in several activities expenditure were made without having any provision in the budget.

In the year 2009-10, a sum of `17.39 crore was spent, in the year 2010-11 a sum of `23.76 crore was spent and in the year 2011-12 a sum of `26.25 was spent although there was no budget allocation for these expenditures.

The major activities during the years include maternal health, child health and infrastructure and human resource which were done in the year 2008-09 for which the payment was made in the year 2009-10. A sum of `121.14 lakh was paid towards maternal health, `53.33 lakh was spent in child health and `85.15 lakh was spent towards infrastructure and human resources although no provision was made in the budget.

Under the activity of procurement expenditure of `663.28 lakh and `1,000 lakh was made for purchase of equipment for hospitals, SNCU’s and training centres and drug and kit respectively and `16.91 lakh and `14.84 lakh was made for procurement under school health programme and district specific procurement for DPMU and other despite having no provision in the budget in the year 2009-10.

In the same year, salary of Ayush doctors was made in which a sum of `44.27 was disbursed as salary that too without having any provisions in the budget.

In the year 2010-11 expenditure of `86.32 lakh was made for MNGO scheme.

All the expenditures are violation of General Financial Rule 200 which states that the controlling officer in respect to funds placed at his disposal should not exceed the budget allocations and the expenditure should not he diverted for any purpose than the specified purpose it has been incurred for.

The CAG in the letter has demanded an explanation and if the approval was taken a copy of the letter intended to get approval of the Union Government.