SHILLONG: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in its report tabled on Monday in Assembly expressed concern over the excess expenditure beyond the budget provision incurred by several departments for the last 42 years.
The Committee in its 14th report “on the regularization of excess grants relating to the appropriation accounts for the years from1971-72 to 2011-2012” said that various additional expenditures in excess of budget provisions were not regularized as the concerned departments did not bother to furnish the replies showing reasons for incurring expenditures in excess of budget provision despite several reminders sent to them.
The Committee on Public Accounts includes HS Lyngdoh (Chairman) and Paul Lyngdoh, RV Lyngdoh, PN Syiem and David Nongrum as members. The Committee approved the report on May 29 this year.
According to the Committee, the departments concerned should intimate the reasons for excess expenditure incurred by them immediately after the audit report and accounts were placed before the House.
The PAC pointed out that the casual and indifferent approach on the part of various government departments is shocking and unpalatable “rendering the passing of the Budget year after year an exercise in futility, and unless strong corrective measures are immediately put in place, the Supremacy of Legislature itself will be subverted and compromised”.
The PAC also said that it is a constitutionally elected body comprising of members from all sections of the House and unless its importance is recognized by various departments, “its existence will come under a big question mark”.
The Chairman of PAC, HS Lyngdoh in his remarks said that the Budget estimates of every year have not been prepared in a realistic manner as many excess and savings occur in the Appropriation Accounts.
Lyngdoh asked the Finance department to play a role of control to ensure that expenditures should be within the provision of the Budget estimates passed by the Legislature.
“The Committee also noted with concern that most of the government departments have not bothered to submit reasons of excess expenditure even after the lapse of several years, thus putting the Committee in difficult position to clear the backlog “, Lyngdoh said.
