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NORTH EAST ENQUIRER |
| Major Events Vol. 1 Issue No. 13 | September 22 - October 6, 2002 |
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The State Health department has come under severe criticism from Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) for not utilising Central assistance of Rs 1.44 crore under various health programmes. The report highlighted widespread lacunae in the implementation of the Revised Strategy for National Tuberculosis Control Programmme (RNTCP), non-establishment of Eye Bank, unnecessary blockade of fund, shortfall in achievement of targets fixed for different components of programmes and lack of proper monitoring. Against the total Central release of Rs 5.03 crore under various health programmes — Rs 0.27 crore for RNTCP, Rs 0.58 crore for National Programme for Control of Blindness (NPCB) and Rs 4.18 crore for National AIDS Control Programme (NACP) — the State Government has only utilised Rs 3.59 crore during 1996-2001, leaving Rs 1.44 crore unspent’, it said. The CAG reports tabled in the last session of the State Assembly said the unutilised balance of Rs. 0.20 crore, Central assistance, under RNTCP by four Test Checked Societies (STC), namely STC Naharlogun and three district tuberculosis centres (DTC) at Pasighat, Along and Bomdila during 1998-1999 to 2000-2001, was mainly due to non-encashment of bank drafts of Rs 0.13 crore by the DTC at Along and Bomdila. The rest of the amount was retained by the STC Naharlogun for payment of salary to contractual staff, it added. These four DTCs also could not start functioning owing to delay in formation of societies and non-encashment of bank drafts, the report added. The unutilized Central assistance of Rs 0.40 crore under NPCB during 1996-2000 ranged between 27 and 65 per cent of the total fund released, the report said and added that the State Government, however, had not assigned any reason for the non-release of Central assistance amounting to Rs 0.12 crore to the State Project Officer (SPO) for implementation of the programme. Out of this amount, Rs 0.08 crore remained unutilised under the sub-head of the State Ophthalmic Cell during the period. In respect of the NACP, the report said, it was seen that at the end of the operational period of the programme under Phase-I, a total amount of Rs 0.32 crore out of Central assistance of Rs 1.53 crore provided during 1996-97 to 1998-99 remained unutilised with the State Government due to non-release of the amount to the State Aids Control Cell. It was also noticed that in addition to
this amount, the State Government retained another Rs 0.16 crore, being the
unutilised balance of the Central assistance pertaining to earlier periods
from 1992-1993 to 1995-1996, the report said. As per the guidelines under
Phase-II of the programme, the unutilised balance of the Central assistance
remained with the State Government was to be transferred to the Project
Director of the State AIDS Control Society for utilisation under Phase-II,
the report pointed out adding that the State Government, however, had not
transferred Rs 0.48 crore as of April 2001 and the reasons for under-utilisation
of the Central assistance by the societies had not been ascertained by the
State Programme Officer. The report also accused the State Health Department
of diversion of the Central fund for construction of buildings and barracks.
It said that as per guidelines issued by the Director General of Health
Services, there was no provision for incurring expenditure on construction
and minor works out of the Central assistance provided to the societies. |
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