Assam: Finance Ministry stops Salaries of DDOs for failing to submit Utilization Certificates

Guwahati, December 6, 2019:

The Assam Government has stopped the salaries of 7 Drawing and Disbursing Officers (DDOs) of six government departments for failing to submit utilisation certificates. The departments are as follows: Home & Political department, Education (Secondary) department, Guwahati Development department, Welfare of Minority Development department, Agriculture department, and the Planning and Development department.

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In an order issued by the State Finance department, it was stated, "The Comptroller and Auditor General of India [CAG] in its report on state finance for the financial year [ending March 31, 2018] has pointed out that there is a significant number of outstanding utilisation certificates pending against grants released to various departments since 2001-02. As per report, for the year 2016-17, the total number of pending utilisation certificates was 1,782 amounting to Rs 12,282.52 crore across 53 departments."

Such huge pendency of utilisation certificate with the departments reflects of poor compliance with regard to financial norms by the administrative departments and is a matter of grave concern for the state government, the order further stated.

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"With a view to addressing this problem of timely submission of utilisation certificates, finance department held a series of review meeting to impress upon the departments/DDOs for immediate submission of pending utilisation certificates. The Assam finance minister assured in the Assam Assembly that pendency of utilisation certificates for the year 2016-17 would reduce to NIL by September 15, 2019. Subsequently, finance department undertook multiple conciliation camps and specific reviews towards this end," the order copy of the Assam finance department stated.

It also said, "The accountant general [accounts], Assam provided necessary assistance to various administrative departments in submission of the utilisation certificates. Despite such efforts, reviews and sensitisation by finance department, seven Drawing and Disbursing Officers under six administrative departments could not bring down their pendency to NIL, although time for submission of utilisation certificate was extended up to November 25, 2019."

"Considering all aspects and in pursuance of the minutes of the meeting held on November 8, 2019, the salaries of the defaulting DDOs are hereby stopped forthwith," the order announced.

The Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also took to Twitter to share this development. He wrote, "Adhering to principles of good governance and zero tolerance against non-compliance, I am glad to share that in a historic move Government of Assam has stopped salaries of 6 DDOs for non submission of 58 utilization certificates."

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