In an attempt to put in place proper “checks and balances” for ensuring that the funds used in clean Ganga project are used “efficiently,” the water ministry has written to the comptroller and auditor general (CAG) to conduct a concurrent audit to enhance the comfort level.
Mission director of the national mission for clean Ganga (NMCG) — the nodal agency to carry out the ambitious task — Dr Rajat Bhargava wrote a letter in June to deputy CAG (admin and staff) Ajanta Dayalan requesting her to commence concurrent audit of the books and records of NMCG from the current financial year.
“Arising out of the expansion of the scope of the national Ganga river basin authority (NGRBA) project, the amount of funds being handled by NMCG has taken a quantum leap with the overall size of the project at '20,000 crore as announced by the Hon’ble Prime Minister. The budget of '2,750 crore allocated during 2015-16 and '2,500 crore for current financial year give an indication of the quantum of funds to be handled by NMCG every year,” Mr Bhargava wrote in the letter.
He added, “As NMCG handles such a large quantum of public funds, it is imperative to put in place proper checks and balances for ensuring that the funds are used efficiently and in the best interest of the country and its people.”
The letter added: “NMCG has already put in place a system of internal audits carried out at quarterly intervals.”
