CAG wants anti-corruption agencies to probe financial mess in Meghal

Shillong, May 27 (UNI) The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) today sought the anti-corruption agencies to investigate into the financial anomalies in the online and paper lottery in Meghalaya.

Principal Accountant General (Audit) of Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh Rajib Sharma said the Meghalaya government has lost around Rs 6000 crores in revenue in the online and paper lottery.

''Investigative agencies like the CBI, State Vigilance Commission and the Assembly's Public Account Committee to take action against these anomalies,'' Mr Sharma told reporters here.

He said the Meghalaya government's failure to incorporate a penalty clause in the amended agreement for online lottery with the distributor led to non-realisation of revenue to the tune of Rs 900 crore.

According to the CAG report, Meghalaya's government failure to obtain legal opinion prior to the execution of the paper and the online lotteries has led to loss of Rs 6000 crores.

The CAG report has also indicted the Meghalaya government for failure of the enforcement wing to detect 7,19,963 commercial trucks carrying load beyond the permissible limit. The report said that the failure has led to the loss of revenue in the form of fine to the tune of Rs 707.40 crore.

The CAG has also detected anomalies in Meghalaya's Transport department.

According to the report new vehicles were registered on Sundays and national holidays. Registering of vehicles is done only during the working days.

On the midday meal scheme of the union government, the CAG report revealed that the Director of Elementary and Mass Education failed to disburse 50 to 100 percent of funds available to during 2006-2007.

It said that a large number of the primary schools in the State were not provided with infrastructural facilities like kitchen-cum-store, drinking water needed for supply of cooked midday meals.

The overall impact of the midday meal scheme was far from satisfactory as the nodal department failed to provide cooked meal to the school children during most of the school days during 2002-2007, the report observed.

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