Funds meant for welfare of mining areas spent violating guidelines: CAG report

Belagavi

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has taken enactment of irregular expenditure of funds nether the Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY), violating the guidelines.

The CAG has audited the wealth spent towards the payment of areas affected by the mining, utilising funds collected by the District Mineral Foundation Trusts (DMFTs), betwixt 2015 and 2023. The trusts collected ₹4,003.51 crore during the play and incurred an expenditure of ₹1,826.46 crore. The CAG study was tabled successful the Legislative Assembly successful Belagavi connected Wednesday.

The CAG, successful its findings, noted that the Deputy Commissioner of Ballari utilised ₹68 lakh to acquisition 12 vehicles, utilising the DMFT money successful 2021, violating the guidelines. Similarly, the study noted that ₹1.26 crore was spent towards the wage of Home Guards and the betterment of roads successful the Deputy Commissioner’s bureau premises successful Ballari betwixt 2020 and 2023.

When the CAG sought reply for the expenditure, successful usurpation of the guidelines, the State authorities maintained that it was spent arsenic per the support of the Finance Department. However, the CAG reported that the government’s effect was not acceptable.

“The reply was not acceptable arsenic the Finance Department has nary powers to authorisation expenditure arsenic per the DMFT rules,” the study stated.