Bhubaneswar: The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has blown the lid off massive financial irregularities, suspected misappropriation, and shocking lapses in the execution of key welfare and development programmes in Odisha. The explosive findings were presented yesterday in the Odisha Legislative Assembly and later shared with the media by the office of the Principal Accountant General (Audit-I).
₹148.75 Crore Suspected Misappropriation in Tribal Welfare Projects
A compliance audit of Integrated Tribal Development Agencies (ITDAs) revealed glaring misuse of public funds. Engineers entrusted with execution of works had personal bank accounts through which ₹148.75 crore of project funds were routed. Audit detected personal transactions like ATM withdrawals, UPI transfers, mobile recharges, and even insurance premium payments from these accounts, raising strong suspicion of misappropriation.
Further scrutiny found ₹3.38 crore excess expenditure unsupported by vouchers, and payments of ₹3.23 crore without invoices. Shockingly, invoices worth ₹22.78 crore carried irregularities such as missing dates, duplicate numbers, or belonging to unregistered entities.
In a brazen violation, ITDA Paralakhemundi procured musical instruments and costumes worth ₹3.74 crore against an approved outlay of just ₹73.60 lakh—an excess of more than five times the sanctioned amount.
Unsafe Water and Crores Down the Drain
The audit of Odisha’s urban water supply schemes under AMRUT and BASUDHA revealed that despite spending ₹2,808.27 crore, many projects remain incomplete and large swathes of the state continue to face drinking water woes.
Water supplied in several towns fell well below the mandated 135 litres per person per day, with testing showing 16 water quality parameters—including E-coli and turbidity—exceeding permissible limits. A ₹9.79 crore renovated water treatment plant in Burla was found supplying turbid water after new systems mixed with sludge from an old clarifier.
Adding to the mess, solar-powered water projects worth ₹1.74 crore installed in Berhampur in 2020 were found defunct within three years due to lack of maintenance.
Special Schools for Disabled Functioning in Distress
Auditors found that 35% of NGO-run special schools for children with disabilities were operating without mandatory registration. Many lacked basic facilities such as classrooms, hygienic toilets, safe drinking water, and hostels. Shortages in essential teaching aids like braille books and hearing aids ranged from 30% to 72%.
Crores Wasted in Higher Education Projects
The CAG also exposed colossal wastage in higher education initiatives under Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA). Out of six Model Degree Colleges built at a cost of over ₹40 crore, five were abandoned and converted into skill centres due to faulty site selection, while the sixth was taken over for highway construction.
A ₹11.30 crore project for a Cluster University in Berhampur collapsed due to governance disputes. Even Utkal University was found distributing laptops and desktops worth ₹1.83 crore meant for a central ICT lab among staff instead.
Other Shocking Findings
- Rubber plantations worth ₹19.64 crore under ITDA Kaptipada failed due to suspected fund misappropriation and poor planning.
- Cuttack Development Authority lost ₹6.44 crore by failing to enforce lease conditions.
- Information & Public Relations Department overspent ₹12.11 crore on TV ads by ignoring prescribed government rates.
- Revenue authorities caused a staggering ₹83.88 crore loss to the state by failing to correctly levy stamp duty and registration fees.
- Erroneous land valuation in Puri district led to excess compensation payments of ₹16.68 crore.
The revelations paint a grim picture of systemic failures and financial mismanagement across multiple departments, raising serious questions on accountability in the state’s governance.
