Our Correspondent
KOHIMA, MARCH 23
The latest report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) for the financial year 2014-15 (Report No.1 of 2016) has made a damning conclusion that the absence of concrete monitoring mechanism in Nagaland is adversely affecting the implementation of developmental programmes in the state, particularly in the field of sports.
The CAG report which was tabled in the State Assembly on Saturday by the Chief Minister of Nagaland TR Zeliang, who is also the minister in charge of Finance, contained the performance and compliance audits of several departments under Social and Economic sectors and Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs), highlighting lapses in various aspects.
In the Social sector, the Department of Youth Resources & Sports (DYRS) was audited and found wanting in factors like planning, financial management, construction and management of sports infrastructure. Besides these, the report also made a disconcerting revelation of injustice on meritorious as well as upcoming sportspersons of the state under the department including discrepancies in disbursement of incentives and awards for medal winners from the state in different disciplines of sports at an international and several national level competitions.
According to the report, out of 482 eminent sportspersons (medal winners) selected for recognition with awards and incentives during 2011-12, 36 were paid less with the difference amounting to Rs.4,79,000 while 49 were not at all paid with the total amount to be awarded adding up to Rs.6,31,000 and 19 were paid in excess to a total amount of Rs.1,90,000. In 34 cases, the report said cash award was paid to players outside the approved list, which amounts to Rs.8,81,000.
In the subsequent year, the CAG report stated that the state government approved Rs.70 lakh for awards and incentives to meritorious sports persons during 2012-13, for which, the DYRS approved a list of 110 sportspersons for cash award of Rs.18 lakh. The department apparently reported the expenditure of Rs.70 lakhs, however, the report said there was no record available to substantiate the payment of awards and incentives of Rs.18 lakh to the 110 sportspersons and utilization of remaining Rs.52 lakh.In regard to stipends for students of sports academies at IG Stadium Kohima and Sports Academy Dimapur, the DYRS received Rs.4.57 crore towards stipends during 2010-15 and reported an expenditure of the same amount. The CAG pointed out that while the DYRS showed it had incurred expenditure on stipend throughout the year including holidays, sports students revealed during interview that they were not paid any allowances during vacations, thus the department drew an expenditure of Rs.36.56 lakh towards stipend which was not actually distributed to hostellers of the two academies.
On Grants-in-aid (GIA) for promotion of sports, the report showed that the state government released Rs.6.30 crore to DYRS for disbursement as GIA to SSC or Nagaland Olympics Association (NOA) affiliated associations. Of this amount, the DYRS released Rs.3.76 crore to 22 affiliated sports associations during 2010-14 as per NOA recommendations while Rs.1.36 crore was released to “different organizations/individuals”, Rs.1 crore spent for renovation of playground at 11 locations outside the recommendation of NOA whose CE PWD (Housing) approved technical estimates were not on record, and the remaining balance of Rs.0.18 crore was lying in the department’s bank account.
The CAG report also pointed out that as per Nagaland Sports Policy 2006, department is supposed to procure branded sports equipment directly from manufacturers or authorised dealers in the state in consultation with SSC/NOA, but examination of records revealed that DYRS made purchases from local suppliers at Kohima and Dimapur without consulting NOA in 2013-14. It said that while quality assessment of the equipments were absent, DYRS made purchases at exaggerated rates even to the extent of three times more than approved rates, incurring excess expenditure of Rs.0.22 crore in respect of 7 sports equipments including football, volleyball, TT bat etc.
Also, DYRS purchased archery equipment worth Rs.1 crore without observing any procurement procedures and the report said it was noticed on audit that the stock register of DYRS accounted for equipment worth Rs.0.32 crore only, thus showing a short accounting of Rs.0.68 crore.
The CAG report also underlined that during 2010-15, 18 sports infrastructure development works were completed at a total cost of Rs.115.85 crore in four (test checked) districts under funds provided by the department, however, joint inspection in May-June 2015 revealed that 6 projects (estimated at Rs.3.77 crore) out of the 18 projects were either executed from different source of funding or not at all executed. Thus, the department misappropriated Rs.3.77 crore by reporting the projects as complete.
Other major points that were highlighted in the report included non-release of funds under Panchayat Yuva Krida aur Khel Abhiyan (PYKKA) by the state government, resulting in refund of Rs.1.27 crore to the Centre along with penal interest of Rs.0.24 crore; DYRS diverted Rs.5.71 crore from approved development activities violating conditions of sanction; Multi-disciplinary Sports Complex Dimapur not functional despite an expenditure of Rs.58 crore incurred in its construction; Sports infrastructure created at Rs.45.43 crore to develop Cricket Stadium at Sovima failed to meet national/international standards; DYRS released Rs.6.02 crore against unexecuted items of work by recording fraudulent measurement in the Measurement Book against 7 projects; DPRs and technical estimates were based on inadequate surveys; search programmes for scouting talents from grassroots levels not conducted.
The CAG, in its concluding remarks, stated that DRYS planning process was inadequate for long term sports development in the state; its financial management poor; sports infrastructure created were either non-functional or not used for intended purpose; coaches and sportspersons not motivated due to inadequate practicing facilities and equipment, lack of job reservation policies for sportspersons, inadequate provision of rewards and incentives; and mandatory inspections by state/district level officers not carried out. It further recommended that DYRS should prioritise plan for sports infrastructure taking into account the views of sports councils, disciplinary action should be initiated against erring officials involved in excess payment to contractors, ensure that projects taken up are completed in time and as per specification, put a system into place to regulate capacity development programmes, payments for awards, stipends and other incentive schemes, and strengthen monitoring mechanism to improve sports activities and infrastructures.
