Accountant General, Chhattisgarh Dinesh Raibhanji Patil said against a total budgetary provision of Rs 88599.01 crore during 2017-18, over all saving was Rs 18,886.71 crore (21.32 percent), of which 5,008.39 crore (26.52% of total saving) had lapsed at the end of financial year. Additional Rs 13,838.17 crore was surrendered on March 31, 2018, leaving no scope for utilization of these funds for other developmental purposes.

Addressing the media after Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel tabled the report in the House, Patil said due to lack of auditing, accounts of 13 working Public Sector Undertakings (14 accounts) are in arrears ranging from one to four years, despite this, budgetary support of Rs 9,463.02 crore was provided to ten working PSUs.

He further said for last four years the government has been told for regular auditing of the PSUs but no steps were taken. He said as per companies Act legal action can be initiated.

He said utilization certificates amount to Rs 2,413.40 crore were outstanding as of March 31, 2018 against the grants-in-aid bills drawn up during the fiscal year.

Revenue receipts and capital expenditure as percentage of GSDP has decreased marginally during 2017-18 as compared to 2016-17, whereas revenue expenditure has increased even after adjusting for inflation during the same period, he pointed out.

The legislature is also yet to regularize excess expenditure of Rs 3,260.16 crore over provisions for the years 2000-01 to 2017-18.  Arrears of tax revenue of Rs 3,545.13 cr in seven departments of which Rs 1,314.56 has remained uncollected for more than five years. The primary deficit of government ranged between Rs 1,361 crore and Rs 6,218 crore during 2013-18 indicating that non-debit receipts were not sufficient to meet the primary expenditure of state, he added.

AG Chhattisgarh said ratio of total outstanding debt to GSDP (18.14%) was higher than the prescribed target of 14 Finance Commission (17.05%), as state government has raised borrowing from market loan of Rs 8,100 crore for Chhattisgarh State Development Loan.