Hindustan Times: Bhopal: Thursday, November 13, 2014.
A government
audit has revealed financial irregularities to the tune of Rs. 16 crore in the
scam-tainted Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission, documents availed under
the RTI Act showed. The irregularities pertain to Rs. 15.81 crore spent by the
commission for conducting different exams from 2002 to 2013 and not accounted
for, the documents showed.
HT has a set
of the documents procured by RTI activist Ajay Dubey.
Though the
audit conducted by the Gwalior-based office of Accountant General (general and
social sector audit) was for the period April 2011 to October 2013, it
mentioned unaccounted funds dating back from 2002.
The audit
report, generated in December 2013, said that the commission failed to account
for sum of over Rs. one crore provided to different exam centre heads, district
collectors and divisional commissioners for conduction of the controversial MP
Civil Services Preliminary Exams 2012.
The exam was
conducted in February 2013 and has landed in controversy after a gang confessed
to leaking question papers of the exam. The matter is under investigation of
the special task force (STF) of MP Police.
Officials of
the commission said on condition of anonymity that such accounting is an
ongoing process and does not indicate irregularity. The secretary of the
commission Manohar Dubey refused to comment.
The report
showed that apart from the sum of Rs. 1.078 crore related to civil services
preliminary exam 2012, Rs. 44.60 lakh provided for other exams in the audit
duration was also not accounted for.
Similarly,
accounting of sum of over Rs. 14.2 crore remained pending since 2002, taking
the total unaccounted sum to Rs. 15.81 crore, the report said.
Activist
Dubey alleged that financial irregularities by an organisation like MPPSC
become quite serious especially in light of the fact that its examination
confidentiality was breached.
The audit
report also pointed out other financial irregularities.
The
commission is apparently managing a bank account without the required approval
of the finance department.
The
commission’s accounts department also failed to match the bank accounts and
cash book entries and to deposit the sum received as exam fees in the state
treasury within the time limit.
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