CAG indicts UP govt for poor implementation of SC/ST schemes

Lucknow, July 10 (UNI) The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has detected several lapses in the government sponsored educational facilities given to SC/ST, OBCs, Minorities and in the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) in Uttar Pradesh leading to misuse of central funds.

The latest report for the year ending March 31,2006, which was tabled in the state assembly today, he said that the UP government had failed miserably to implement the schemes due to which the targets to provide the facilities were not achieved.

Under the central sponsored schemes of sholarships, free hostel accommodation and book-banks for the students belonging to SC and ST besides pre-examination coaching for competitive examinations, the state failed to implement the schemes at grassroot level due to a ''deficient lack of awareness.'' Implementation of these schemes failed to have an impact on educational development of the students belonging to the SCs/STs, the report said.

In the educational schemes for the Other Backward Castes(OBCs) and minorities through which they are provided scholarship and free hostel facility, the implementation was ''deficient.'' The CAG report said receipt of utilisation certificates and refund of unspend balances by the school/colleges were not monitored while scrutiny of applications for scholarship was deficient leading to payment of ''ineligible beneficiaries.'' The programme of providing hostel facility of backward class students and girl students of minorities remained largely unfulfilled due to delay and improper selection of sites for hostels.

Besides this, schemes for establishing mini ITIs in madarsas launched during 2003-04 was also not implemented satisfactorily, the report added.

The SSA, which aims to have all children in schools, suffered on many fronts such as high drop out rate, low transition from primary to upper primary level, disproportionate deployment of teachers and non-strengthening of District Institute of Educational Training(DIETs).

The CAG report said lack of basic infrastructure facilities such as school buildings, additional class rooms, toilets, water facilities at school level had futher dampened the process of achieving elementary schooling for all by 2010.

Under the SSA, the centre provides funds for eucation guarantee centres and alternative school camps to ensure completion of five years of primary schooling by 2007 and eight years of elementary schooling by 2010.

UNI