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Indian Express
16 hours ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Opposition alleges Rs 70,000 crore scam as CAG flags accounting lapses in poll-bound Bihar
Just months ahead of the upcoming Assembly election in Bihar, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has flagged massive accounting lapses in the state's finances. The CAG has reported that as of March 31, 2024, as many as 49,649 Utilisation Certificates (UCs) — documents that confirm that allocated resources were utilised for the intended purpose — amounting to Rs 70,877.61 crore, had not been submitted to the Accountant General (Accounts and Entitlements) of Bihar. The findings have come as fresh ammunition for the Opposition. Bihar Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav said in a social media post, 'Thanks to Modi-Nitish, a scam of Rs 70,000 crore has taken place in Bihar. The CAG has unearthed the theft. No work was seen, but the entire expenditure was made… Modi-Nitish made history by committing a Rs 70,000 crore scam. Just like the Srijan scam, now efforts to manage this from Delhi to Patna have intensified.' According to the CAG's State Finances Audit Report for 2023-24, the non-submission of UCs violates Rule 271(e) of the Bihar Treasury Code that requires departments to submit the documents within 18 months of the financial year in which the grant is released. The report notes that the Bihar government 'did not comply' with the national accounting standards of IGAS-1, IGAS-2, and IGAS-3. The auditing body suspects that nearly Rs 70,878 crore of budgeted money has no audit clearance, and raised serious risk of fraud. 'In the absence of UCs, there is no assurance that funds disbursed have been used for the intended purpose,' the report said, adding that this level of pendency is 'fraught with the risk of embezzlement, misappropriation, and diversion of funds'. The report's year-wise data shows that Rs 14,452.38 crore worth of these pending UCs relate to grants issued up to 2016-17. In 2017-18, the pending UCs amounted to Rs 3,746.64 crore; to Rs 5,870.67 crore in 2018-19; Rs 17,980.24 crore in 2019-20 and 2020-21; Rs 16,014.34 crore in 2021-22; and Rs 12,813.34 in 2022–23. The pending UCs are heavily concentrated in a few departments, the CAG report revealed, indicating that five departments account for the majority of the unverified expenditure. The largest default is in the Panchayati Raj Department, with UCs worth Rs 28,154.10 crore pending, the report said. This is followed by the Education Department (Rs 12,623.67 crore), Urban Development and Housing Department (Rs 11,065.50 crore), Rural Development Department (Rs 7,800.48 crore), and Agriculture Department (Rs 2,107.63 crore). In addition to department-level grants, the CAG also found that large sums of grants to local bodies remained unverified. As per the CAG, as of March 31, 2024, utilisation certificates were pending for Rs 4,277.22 crore given to Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) and Rs 2,221.83 crore given to Rural Local Bodies under various central and state schemes, including 15th Finance Commission grants. The report also highlighted significant pendency in the submission of Detailed Contingent (DC) bills against Abstract Contingent (AC) bills. AC bills are required to draw advances by departments, and rules mandate that a department submitting an AC bill to withdraw cash must finalise the accounts by submitting a DC bill within six months. However, as on March 31, 2024, the report showed massive non-compliance, as Rs 9,205.76 crore was drawn in advance payments through 22,130 AC bills, but its expense details through DC bills were not submitted. Of this, Rs 5,577.91 crore (60.60%) pertained to advances drawn for the 'creation of Capital Assets', including major schemes under road works, education, health, rural development, etc. The CAG further noted that 1,648 AC bills, totalling Rs 1,041.12 crore, were drawn in March 2024 alone, indicating a 'rush' to exhaust budgets at the end of the financial year. The audit said that this pattern of drawing money late in the year and not reconciling it 'indicates poor public expenditure management'. 'The non-submission of DC bills within the prescribed period breaches financial discipline and enhances the risk of misappropriation of public money,' the report warned. The CAG also pointed to issues highlighting systemic lapses in financial reporting with classification of expenditure, particularly under grants-in-aid. It observed that 59.95% of the total budgeted grants-in-aid of Rs 77,600.47 crore disbursed during 2023-24 were lumped under the category, 'Others', without clearly identifying the institutions or schemes to which the funds were released. The CAG noted that without proper institutional codes, 'the amounts outstanding against all institutions could not be worked out.' This, it said, is a gap that 'affected the transparency of accounts'. The CAG also flagged significant parking of funds under the Deposit of Local Funds. According to the CAG report, funds budgeted as grants to local bodies and municipal bodies were transferred there, but never spent. Over 2019-24, the balance in these accounts swelled to Rs 30,017.64 crore. 'This amount has been shown as Revenue or Capital Expenditure in the respective years but is lying unspent in the deposit head,' the report says. It observes that this practice overstates actual expenditure, and further mentions that the 'reason for transfer of funds for parking in Deposit of Local Fund Head of Account were awaited'. The CAG also noted that internal audit mechanisms in departments were either weak or non-functional, and several previous audit recommendations had not been acted upon. It observed that delays in submission of audit replies and lack of timely action 'defeated the very purpose of the audit'. The CAG said that the combination of the issues of missing UCs, unreconciled advances, off-book deposits and generic accounting entries 'indicate lack of internal controls in the administrative departments'.
News18
21-07-2025
- Politics
- News18
Another Businessman Shot Dead In Bihar Days After Gopal Khemka's Murder
Last Updated: Bihar has recently witnessed a sudden rise in crime cases, with shooting incidents being reported from several districts. Days after BJP leader and businessman Gopal Khemka was shot dead outside his residence in Bihar's Patna, a hardware shop owner was shot dead in Chapra district. The incident occurred on Sunday evening in the Ekma police station area. The deceased has been identified as Roshan Singh, a resident of Hansrajpur village. A further investigation into the matter is currently underway. Bihar has recently witnessed a sudden rise in crime cases, with similar shooting incidents being reported from several districts. Earlier on July 4, Gopal Khemka, who was returning to his home at nearly 11 p.m., was shot dead in the south area of the Gandhi Maidan. In a separate incident that took place on July 19, some bike-borne assailants fired three rounds at a doctor in Gaya, with one bullet hitting the doctor in the jaw. The incident left him severely injured and he was rushed to Anugrah Narayan Magadh Medical College and Hospital for emergency care. shot dead Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and former Bihar Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav launched a scathing attack at the ruling coalition led by CM Nitish Kumar, and called out the NDA government for turning 'Bihar into Taliban." 'In Gaya, a doctor was shot. In Patna, open firing between two groups. In Patna, a woman was shot. In Rohtas, a businessman was murdered. Modi-Nitish BJP government is helpless. DK tax-protected thugs and criminals run rampant!" he had said in a post on X earlier. view comments First Published: July 21, 2025, 07:43 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
News18
19-07-2025
- Politics
- News18
Doctor Shot By Bike-Borne Assailants In Gaya, Condition Critical; Tejashwi Takes 'Taliban' Swipe
The attackers reportedly fired three rounds, with one bullet hitting the doctor in the jaw, leaving him in critical condition. A doctor sustained serious injuries after being shot by three unidentified assailants on a motorcycle in Bihar's Gaya district, said officials. The attackers reportedly fired three rounds, with one bullet hitting the doctor in the jaw, leaving him in critical condition. He was rushed to Anugrah Narayan Magadh Medical College and Hospital for emergency care, said police, adding that they have begun examining CCTV footage from the area as part of their initial probe into the case. The motive behind the shooting is yet to be established. Meanwhile, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav criticised the Nitish Kumar-led NDA government in Bihar, alleging a breakdown in law and order after a series of murders and violent incidents reported across the state. 'Turned Bihar Into Taliban' Yadav, whose criticism of the ruling coalition comes just ahead of the state elections to be held later this year, called out the NDA government for turning 'Bihar into Taliban." 'In Gaya, a doctor was shot. In Patna, open firing between two groups. In Patna, a woman was shot. In Rohtas, a businessman was murdered. Modi-Nitish BJP government is helpless. DK tax-protected thugs and criminals run rampant!" he added in his X post. The RJD leader's criticism comes at a time when the state is witnessing a sudden increase in violent criminal activities. The state saw several high-profile incidents, including the killing of a murder convict inside the ICU of Patna's Paras Hospital by five armed assailants. A few days earlier, a man named Vikram Jha was shot dead in Ramkrishna Nagar. Earlier this month, businessman Gopal Khemka was also gunned down in broad daylight, followed by the murder of a sand trader outside his home. view comments First Published: July 19, 2025, 15:04 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
India Today
19-07-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Bihar like Taliban under PM, Nitish Kumar rule: Tejashwi Yadav amid rising violence
Ahead of the Bihar elections, Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, Tejashwi Yadav, on Saturday called the NDA government in the state 'helpless' in the face of the rising wave of violence, alleging that the "BJP has turned Bihar into Taliban."In a hard-hitting post on X, Tejashwi highlighted several major crime incidents in the state, writing: "BJP has turned Bihar into Taliban! Doctor shot in Gaya. Open firing between two groups in Patna. Woman shot in Patna. Businessman murdered in Rohtas."advertisementAs the growing spate of gang-related violence continues, Tejashwi took a veiled dig at Bihar's 'double-engine' government, blaming both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for the deteriorating law and order situation. "The Modi-Nitish BJP government is helpless. DK tax-protected goons and criminals are fearless!" he went tirade against the Nitish-led NDA government in Bihar comes after a series of gang-related violence incidents rocked the state over the past few unidentified assailants stormed into a private hospital in Patna and shot dead a prisoner out on parole in broad his post, Tejashwi referred to a retired health official being shot by unidentified bike-borne assailants in Gaya this morning, leaving the doctor in critical also mentioned two recent murders in Rohtas district — including the killing of a businessman — within 24 hours.A fortnight ago, prominent businessman Gopal Khemka was shot dead by a gunman — who was later killed in a police encounter — in accused opened fire on Khemka - owner of Magadh Hospital, one of the oldest private hospitals in the state - just as he stepped out of his car near an apartment close to his residence, Panache Hotel, in the posh Gandhi Maidan area.- EndsTrending Reel
Time of India
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Rahul to interact with students tomorrow
Patna: In its bid to win back the dalit and extremely backward castes votes, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi will participate in ' Shiksha Nyay Samvad ' with the students in Darbhanga and Patna on Thursday (May 15).The other senior Congress netas will also interact with the students at 60 places in Bihar as part of the party's 'Shiksha Nyay Samvad', NSUI national in charge Kanhaiya Kumar said on said 62 national Congress netas, including Rahul, will directly communicate with the students of the state on their problems in SC, ST, OBC hostels and community halls at various places in the state under the alleged that the state's education system had failed. "Nitish Kumar has been the CM for 20 years and Narendra Modi has been the PM for 12 years, but the condition of the state has gone from bad to worse," he further said not a single degree college has been opened in 358 blocks while there is a huge shortage of permanent teachers and a three-year degree is being completed in six years."The student credit card scheme has pushed the youth into debt instead of employment. They have not completed their studies but debt recovery has started. The CAG's report shows that the money of SC/ST scholarship was spent on the construction of roads and bridges, and even scholarships meant for the minority community students were stopped. Hostels for dalit, backward and minority students are either closed or on the verge of ruin. Instead of investing in education, industry and infrastructure in Bihar, the Modi-Nitish double engine govt is diverting funds towards Gujarat," he the press conference, student netas Triloki Kumar Manjhi, Ranjit Pandit, Bhagya Bharti and Manish Paswan raised five main demands of SC, ST, EBCs and In its bid to win back the dalit and extremely backward castes votes, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi will participate in 'Shiksha Nyay Samvad' with the students in Darbhanga and Patna on Thursday (May 15).The other senior Congress netas will also interact with the students at 60 places in Bihar as part of the party's 'Shiksha Nyay Samvad', NSUI national in charge Kanhaiya Kumar said on said 62 national Congress netas, including Rahul, will directly communicate with the students of the state on their problems in SC, ST, OBC hostels and community halls at various places in the state under the alleged that the state's education system had failed. "Nitish Kumar has been the CM for 20 years and Narendra Modi has been the PM for 12 years, but the condition of the state has gone from bad to worse," he further said not a single degree college has been opened in 358 blocks while there is a huge shortage of permanent teachers and a three-year degree is being completed in six years."The student credit card scheme has pushed the youth into debt instead of employment. They have not completed their studies but debt recovery has started. The CAG's report shows that the money of SC/ST scholarship was spent on the construction of roads and bridges, and even scholarships meant for the minority community students were stopped. Hostels for dalit, backward and minority students are either closed or on the verge of ruin. Instead of investing in education, industry and infrastructure in Bihar, the Modi-Nitish double engine govt is diverting funds towards Gujarat," he the press conference, student netas Triloki Kumar Manjhi, Ranjit Pandit, Bhagya Bharti and Manish Paswan raised five main demands of SC, ST, EBCs and women.
