CAG raps Kejriwal for spending Rs 1,000 cr in 30 days

New Delhi: The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has raised questions over the Arvind Kejriwal government in Delhi spending more than Rs 1,000 crore in a gap of 30 days. It said the spending money was against the financial rules.

The CAG has pulled up the government for dumping funds meant for several items into an account for the entire year and then spending suddenly while approaching the end of the financial year.

In the CAG report available with IANS, the Delhi government has been questioned for spending money overstepping the rules in 26 items, including health, education, city development and social welfare.

The CAG has released the report on ‘State Financial Management of the Government of Delhi between 2017-18’. It states: “General Financial Rule (GFR) 56 states that the process of spending the entire budget suddenly in the last months of the financial year is against the financial rules. This should be avoided”. Despite this in the last quarter of 2017-18, a huge amount was spent under 26 sub-heads, the report said.

The CAG further stated that during the audit, it was revealed that a total of Rs 1,404.51 crore was spent on 26 items in 2017-18, of which Rs 1,101.26 crore was spent in the last quarter (January, February and March). Out of this, Rs 1,064.55 crore was spent in just one month — March, 2018.

The CAG has said the amount spent so hastily in the last quarter, especially in March, shows that the rules were not followed.

This report of the CAG was tabled in the Lok Sabha on December 2.

IANS