Jaipur, Feb 28 (PTI) Four audit reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) were tabled in the Rajasthan Assembly on Tuesday, highlighting shortcomings in the functioning of the various departments of the state.

The report found shortcomings in the implementation of Deendayal Gramin Vidyutikaran Yojna by power distribution companies, the AMRUT scheme by urban bodies and urban development departments and the functioning of government companies and corporations.

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According to an official statement, the audit conducted by the CAG regarding illegal mining in the state found that there is a need for reforms to strengthen the government machinery to prevent such activities.

Rajasthan has the largest number of mining leases in the country. The CAG observed whether the state government was taking adequate measures to prevent illegal mining.

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The report shows that the department did not use freely available new technologies such as remote sensing data and Geographic Information System (GIS) to identify and stop illegal mining activities.

Illegal mining in 83.25 hectares was identified in 122 cases by using remote sensing data and GIS techniques. The results showed that it was being carried out near 34 per cent of mining leases.

The department inspected 14 mining leases pointed out by an audit and found illegal mining of 13.37 lakh metric tonnes of minerals. The cost of this mineral is Rs 1 billion 11 crore.

Due to no usage of modern technology by departmental officers and the no inspection of mining leases, the department could not ascertain these activities. The department also failed to properly use the application 'DMGOMS' meant for monitoring mining activities and collected a demand of Rs 71 crore and a penalty of Rs 14 crore.

The CAG also highlighted huge irregularities in challans of minerals and pointed out that the photo of the same vehicle was used multiple times for making challans which gives rise to the possibility of evasion of royalty, the statement said.

A report was also issued by the CAG on the implementation of the Central Government's Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY) by the three DISCOMs in Rajasthan and pointed out the shortcomings found in the implementation of the scheme.

The Government of India started this scheme in 2014 to release electricity connections in villages, but none of the discoms could complete the work of this scheme within the stipulated time.

The CAG highlighted the deficiencies found in the project formulation and execution, contract management, monitoring and quality assurance mechanism and funding mechanism in the implementation of the scheme.

The discoms could not give the full benefit of this scheme to the people of the state and also could not fulfil the target of feeder separation work to be done under this scheme.

Under this scheme, instead of making separate feeders for agriculture and non-agriculture loads, the discoms put a mixed load on the new feeders made under the scheme, it said.

Discoms wrongly declared villages as electrified as 10,320 schools located in rural areas were unelectrified till November 2020.

Thus even after the implementation of DDUGJY, Discoms failed to achieve the target of 100 per cent village electrification in the state.

The CAG's report on 'Urban Local Bodies and Urban Development and Housing Department' highlighted the shortcomings found in the audit of the Central Government's 'Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT)' scheme.

The CAG observed in the audit that out of 93 projects worth Rs 3,142 crore sanctioned under the scheme, only 41 projects worth Rs 685.38 crore could be completed. There was a delay of one to 37 months in 30 out of 41 projects.

The remaining 52 projects were incomplete (June 2021) even after incurring an expenditure of Rs 1,712.99 crore and a delay of two to 37 months.

In the audit of urban bodies, the CAG pointed out that Municipal Corporation, Jaipur suffered a loss of Rs 149.20 lakh due to the non-issuance of a demand letter to the successful bidder in the e-auction of advertisement boards within the stipulated time.

Bundi Municipal Council suffered a loss of Rs 128.20 lakh due to the non-deposit of the employees' provident fund (EPF) contribution by the contractors.

In addition to the financial position and performance of state undertakings, the CAG's report on the financial performance of state companies and corporations also discusses other important aspects such as the role of the CAG, corporate governance in state undertakings and the implementation of Indian Accounting Standards in government companies.

As per the statement in the CAG report, during the year 2020-21, out of 41 state undertakings, 25 state undertakings earned a profit, while 13 state undertakings incurred losses.

Due to the losses in these 41 PSUs for the last several years, huge losses (? 97,441.97 crore) were accumulated against the capital investment (? 51,787.33 crore) of the PSUs. Also, the net worth of 15 PSUs became negative.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)