Audit Reports
Meghalaya
Report of 2009 - Financial and Performance Audit on Civil and Commercial of Government of Meghalaya
Overview
This Report contains Civil and Commercial chapters comprising five performance reviews (including one on integrated audit of a Government department) and 25 audit paragraphs, based on the audit of certain selected programmes and activities and the financial transactions of the Government, audit of Government Companies and Statutory Corporations. Copies of the audit paragraphs and performance reviews were sent to the concerned Secretaries to the State Government by the Accountant General (Audit) with a request to furnish replies within six weeks. In respect of four reviews and 15 audit paragraphs in this Report, no response was received from the concerned Secretaries to the State Government. A synopsis of the important findings contained in this Report is presented in this overview.
Performance review on various minor irrigation projects in the State revealed that only 13 per cent of total irrigation potential in the State was covered under irrigation till March 2009. Even the irrigation potential created was not fully utilised, as a result, agriculture production in the State was almost stagnant. Large number of minor irrigation projects were not completed on time. Even the completed projects had not been fully utilised. Some of the completed projects became defunct due to various reasons like flash floods, drying up of source of water and heavy silting, etc. Against the irrigation coverage of 29,313.84 ha as of March 2009 as claimed by the Department, the actual coverage was only 22,849.03 ha, which was only 10.48 per cent of the total irrigation potential (2.18 lakh ha) in the State. Works under the projects were executed in an unplanned manner resulting in unproductive expenditure and wastage of resources. The objective of generating additional irrigation potential to increase the production of cultivable lands, thus, remained largely unachieved.
Implementation of Developmental Programmes in East Khasi Hills District District East Khasi Hills was created in October 1976 consequent to the re-organisation of the State of Meghalaya. While the rate of literacy in the District is quite high at 76.1 per cent against the national average of 64.8 per cent, the district faired poorly on poverty alleviation front as 50,997 rural families in the District live below the poverty line. Health care in the district was far from satisfactory due to inadequate facilities coupled with shortage of medical/para-medical staff. The supply of drinking water still remained a problem area in the District. Nearly 39 per cent rural habitations did not have water supply system. Under rural road works programmes, 35 per cent of works were yet to start though funds were made available. While the Indira Awas Yojana had been successful in providing houses to 4,789 below poverty line families, the employment generated under National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme was only 19 per cent of the target.