Budget figures unrealistic: CAG

Faults Telangana govt for deficiencies in 2015-16 budget formulation

​Hyderabad: The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report on state finances for the financial year 2015-16 tabled in the Assembly on Monday slammed the government for its unrealistic budgetary allocations and weaknesses in expenditure monitoring and control.

According to the Audit Report, several policy initiatives taken up by the government remained either unfulfilled or were partially executed, primarily due to non-approval of scheme guidelines/modalities, non-commencement of works for want of administrative sanction and poor project implementation apart from non-release of funds.

It also found fault with the government for the delay in submission of annual accounts by several autonomous bodies which diluted the accountability and defeated the very purpose of preparation of accounts. The report said the utilization certificates were furnished without actual utilization in respect of funds drawn for execution of various schemes.

The CAG said that capital projects in irrigation and road sectors were not completed in time, resulting in non-achievement of the envisaged benefits.

It said that excess expenditure of Rs 5,881 crore was incurred during 2015-16 without legislative authorization. There were also several instances of budgetary misclassifications on subsidies, subvention from the Central Road Fund etc, which indicated deficiencies in the budget formulation.

However, the bright spot that the report pointed out was that the total outstanding liabilities constituted 21.37 per cent of the GSDP, which was within the ceiling of 21.55 per cent prescribed by the 14th Finance Commission.

Pointing at a series of lapses, the CAG said the state had registered revenue surplus of Rs 238 crore during 2015-16. But it was overstated due to misclassification of grant-in-aid to the tune of Rs 151 crore under capital head and crediting off-budget borrowings to the tune of Rs 3,719 crore to revenue receipts.

The CAG said the fiscal deficit which stood at 3.23 per cent of the GSDP had been understated by Rs 3,719 crore due to crediting off budget borrowing to revenue receipts. This would have the effect of increasing the ratio of fiscal deficit to the GSDP from 3.23 per cent to 3.87 per cent.

It was also seen that there was non-reconciliation of 57 per cent (Rs 53,884 crore) of the total expenditure and 52 per cent (Rs 39,360 crore) of the total receipts with the books of Accountant General during the year indicating disregard of codal provisions and financial rules by the controlling officers.

Similarly, 10,852 vouchers in support of payments made for an amount of Rs 3532 crore from the treasuries were not received, which made the system vulnerable to the risk of misappropriation and fraud, the report added.