CAG report flags lapses in housing, labour welfare and solar pump schemes in Chhattisgarh

Raipur, Dec 17 (PTI) The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has flagged shortcomings in the implementation of key welfare and infrastructure schemes in Chhattisgarh, including urban housing, labour welfare and renewable energy initiatives, in its Performance and Compliance Audit (Civil) Report for the period ending March 2023.

The report was tabled in the state assembly on Wednesday by state Finance Minister O P Choudhary.

The report comprises three chapters covering audit planning and expenditure analysis, performance audit of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Urban (PMAY-U), and compliance audit of welfare schemes implemented by the Labour Department, along with observations on installation of solar pumps by the Chhattisgarh Renewable Energy Development Agency (CREDA).

The PMAY-U is a flagship Mission of the Union government implemented by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), which was launched in June 2015 with the objective to address the housing requirement of the slum dwellers and other people belonging to Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), Low Income Group (LIG) and Middle Income Group (MIG) categories in the urban areas.

There are four verticals - (a) Affordable Housing in Partnership (AHP), (b) Beneficiary Led individual house Construction (BLC), (c) In Situ Slum Redevelopment (ISSR) and (d) Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme (CLSS), the report said.

The performance audit on the scheme revealed several irregularities in beneficiary selection and fund management.

Audit observed in four urban local bodies (municipal corporation of Bilaspur, Raipur, Korba and municipal panchayat Premnagar) that 71 beneficiaries whose income was more than Rs 3 lakh were selected and allotted houses/Dwelling Units (DUs) under BLC/AHP. ULBs paid assistance of Rs 4.05 crore to 250 beneficiaries under BLC without ensuring the ownership of land in the name of beneficiaries, the report highlighted.

Due to non-linkage of PMAY-U and PMAY-Gramin Management Information System (MIS), 99 beneficiaries have availed benefits in both schemes. Thirty-five beneficiaries who had already benefitted under the Integrated Housing and Slum Development Programme again availed the benefits under the BLC vertical of the scheme, it said.

The audit noticed delay in completion of DUs by ULBs under AHP projects led to blocking of scheme funds amounting to Rs 230.05 crore. Out of the total sanctioned 2.77 lakh houses in BLC, 66,383 houses were surrendered/curtailed and out of the remaining 2.11 lakh houses, 1.84 lakh houses were completed as of April 2025.

The audit noted that women empowerment goals of the scheme were not fully achieved, as only around half of the houses were sanctioned in the name of female beneficiaries during the period 2016-17 to 2023-24. Lapses were also observed in monitoring mechanisms, including irregular geo-tagging and delays in conducting social audits, it said.

The compliance audit of welfare schemes implemented by the Labour Department of the Chhattisgarh government, revealed underutilisation of funds and inadequate coverage of workers in both organised and unorganised sectors.

The audit observed that out of the allotment of Rs 329.41 crore to Chhattisgarh Asangathit Karmkaar Rajya Samajik Suraksha Mandal (CGAKM) for unorganised sector workers, Rs 210.75 crore (64 per cent) were spent, whereas out of available fund of Rs 44.86 crore, only Rs 21.27 crore were spent by Chhattisgarh Shram Kalyan Mandal (CGSKM) for organised sector workers.

Despite registration of a large number of workers on the Centre's e-Shram portal, a significantly lower proportion was registered under the state labour portal.

In the unorganised sector, 76.33 lakh workers of Chhattisgarh state were registered under the Centre's e-Shram portal, against which only l6.62 lakh (22 per cent) workers were found registered under the Chhattisgarh labour portal while in the organised sector only 2.05 lakh (26 per cent) workers against the target of 8 lakh had been registered during the period of audit.

The audit also pointed that expenditure was not incurred consistently under various schemes, such as marriage assistance, distribution of cycle, sewing machines, tools, equipment etc., while in 10 out of total 50 schemes for unorganised and organised sectors, no expenditure was incurred during the period 2018-19 to 2022-23.

Irregularities were also noticed in procurement and distribution of cycles and delays in release of financial assistance under various schemes.

The audit of installation of solar pumps under the Saur Sujala Yojana, implemented through the CREDA, revealed avoidable additional expenditure due to installation of costlier pumps contrary to scheme guidelines.

It also observed that solar pumps were installed without conducting mandatory yield tests and that labour cess was not deducted from contractors' bills during the audit period. These lapses resulted in financial irregularities and avoidable costs to the state exchequer.

The Office of the Accountant General (Audit), Chhattisgarh, stated that the findings underscore the need for stronger monitoring, better coordination among departments, effective beneficiary identification systems and strict adherence to scheme guidelines to ensure optimal utilisation of public funds and achievement of intended welfare objectives. PTI TKP NP