CAG report tabled in Puducherry Assembly

The government on Thursday tabled the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India for the period ended March 2023 in the Legislative Assembly.

Briefing reporters after the Assembly session concluded, Principal Accountant General R. Thiruppathi Venkatasamy said the report contained significant results of the Compliance Audit on the implementation of 74th Constitutional Amendment Act in the Union Territory.

The decision not to conduct elections for Urban Local Bodies ( ULBs) had resulted in non-participation of Municipal Administration through Municipal Councils. Only 9 out of the 121 recommendations of the three State Finance Commissions (SFCs) constituted so far were accepted and none of the SFCs had recommended for the apportionment of financial grants to the ULBs at a fixed percentage of its total revenue. 

The ULBs are highly dependent on the assigned revenue and grants-in-aid from the government for meeting their financial requirements. The local bodies lacked adequate manpower as there were huge vacancies across all cadres ranging from 30% to 68% affecting efficient delivery of services, the report said. 

The report has pointed out deficiencies in the implementation of Direct Benefit Transfer scheme of Puducherry State Free Rice Scheme, National Food Security Act, Old Age and Destitute Pension Scheme and Anganwadi Services- Supplementary Nutrition Programme.