The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has unearthed a major scam in the implementation of Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY), a Centrally sponsored scheme implemented by the Rural Development Department in Jammu & Kashmir.
According to the CAG report, the Government of India had released funds to the State during 2008-13 on the basis of the 2001 census report showing shortage of 0.93 lakh houses in the State. Ironically, audit scrutiny has revealed that assistance has been provided to 2.12 lakh houses, implying that 1.19 lakh ineligible beneficiaries were provided assistance under the scheme during the period.
Even funds to the tune of 3.79 crore from the special package of 4.51 crore for rehabilitation of 1,172 BPl border displaced families of Akhnoor block of Jammu district whose houses were damaged due to heavy shelling from across the border during 2008-09 to 2010-11 were diverted and the balance amount of 71.91 lakh remained unspent as of March 2013. Omar Abdullah is heading the alliance Government in J&K since January 2009.
According to CAG, the percentage of completion of houses by the beneficiaries ranged between 55 and 69 and the percentage of completion of up gradation works ranged between 23 and 76 percent during the period from 2008-13. The Government of India provided 299.53 crores between 2008-13 and the State share of 102.40 crores was spent on the scheme.
As per the IAY guidelines the department was required to prepare IAY wait list from the BPl lists(prepared on the basis of census conducted by the department in the year 2002) and the annual action plans were required to be formulated from these IAY lists.
During the scrutiny of records of six districts and 12 Block Development Officers including two directors of Kashmir & Jammu division CAG found that the department had neither prepared permanent IAY wait list nor formulated annual plans.
Six Assistant Commissioners (Development) had wrongly reported to the Governemnt of India that Annual plans were approved and beneficiaries have been selected from the waitlists.The officials operated two to eight bank accounts in different banks in violation of the scheme guidelines. Delays in release of funds adversely affected performance of the scheme. The State Government even received less central assistance to the extent of 17.56 crore during the period 2008-13 due to late submissions of proposals for release of second installment and inadequate state share.
A total of 4258 beneficiaries in 11 blocks out of 12 selected blocks were identified as houseless as per BPl census 2002 and were accordingly entitled for assistance for construction of new houses under the scheme. However, the assistance was provided to 7270 beneficiaries during 2008-13 out of which only 815 bona-fide beneficiaries(19 percent of 4258) were covered during the period.
According to the CAG report, as against shortage of 14901 houses in five districts namely Jammu, Poonch, Ramban, Budgam and Kulgam as per the BPl census 2002, the department had sanctioned assistance for 45899 beneficiaries under New Constructions during the period 2008-13 showing coverage of 30998 ineligible beneficiaries.
Further against 89117 Kutcha houses as per the BPl census -2002 the department had sanctioned assistance for 9297 beneficiaries under upgradation component of the scheme.
According to CAG,” Twenty cases in seven test checked blocks were selected twice during the period 2008-13 and assistance for construction of new houses was paid twice to the same beneficiary resulting in excess payment of 5.60 lakh.