The Centre diverted funds worth Rs 2.83 crore allocated for several pension schemes to publicise its other initiatives, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) found during its audit.
The performance audit report of the National Social Assistance Programme from the financial year 2017-18 to 2020-21 was on Tuesday tabled in the Lok Sabha.
The National Social Assistance Programme consists of three pension schemes for elderly citizens, people with disabilities and widows. Besides, two other schemes – one to provide food security for the elderly and the other to give a one-time assistance to families whose sole breadwinner is dead – are also funded under the National Social Assistance Programme.
The CAG noted, “Out of the total allocation to a state/ UT [Union Territories], three per cent fund was meant for administrative expenditure,” the Comptroller and Auditor General report stated. “During audit, instances of diversion of funds by ministry and states/UTs out of allocated funds for NSAP [National Social Assistance Programme] were noticed.”
The Union ministry of rural development sanctioned the diversion of Rs 39.15 lakh in June 2017 for pension schemes towards publicity campaign for all initiatives of the ministry, the CAG report revealed.
In August 2017, another amount of Rs 2.44 crore was diverted for the “campaigning [of] Gram Samriddhi, Swachh Bharat Pakhawada and publicity material of multiple schemes of the ministry through five hoardings in each district of 19 states,” added the report.
It further mentioned that the work orders for the publicity campaigns issued to the Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity did not mention any scheme under the National Social Assistance Programme.
The advertisements were instead meant for the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Awas Yojana and Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana.
The CAG report read, “Further, the campaigns were to be undertaken by DAVP [Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity] under intimation to the department; however, the payment to DAVP was made without confirmation of the execution of the work.”
The rural development ministry had in a reply to the CAG in December said that the matter was taken up with its information, education and communication divisions.
