Srinagar: Jammu & Kashmir’s School Education department has come under criticism from the Comptroller and Auditor General of India for its failure to set-up model schools, saying, “it not only resulted in non-utilisation of Rs 44.13 crore over a period of ten years but also deprived the intended beneficiaries from quality education.”
In its report for the year ended 31 March 2019 on social, general, economic and revenue sectors of J&K, the CAG has come down heavily on the School Education department for its failure to take timely action for utilisation of amounts received from the Government of India for establishment of model schools at block level. “The State Government may ensure that unspent amount alongwith interest accrued thereon may be refunded in accordance with the conditions laid down in the sanction order of the Government of India, Ministry of Human Resources Development and responsibility fixed for non- establishment of model schools,” the CAG recommended.
After the Centre unveiled a scheme in November 2008 for setting up at least one model school in every educationally backward block (EBB), J&K government submitted a proposal to the to the grant-in-aid committee (GIAC) of Ministry of Human Resources Development for setting up of 24 schools under it.
In its third meeting held in November 2009,the grant-in-aid committee of the Centre observed that the projected unit cost of Rs 6.18 crore was higher than the scheme norm of Rs 3.02 crore per model school.
The committee directed the State Government was to either revise the estimate or to meet the extra financial burden.
“In the same meeting, the representative from the State of J&K informed the GIAC that the estimates will be revised so as to bring it within the scheme norms. The GIAC thereby recommended 19 new model schools to be set up in the State,” the report states.
In February 2010, the MHRD released grant-in-aid of Rs 25.82 crore to J&K government and State government also released Rs 2.87 crore in June 2010 to State Project Director (SPD) Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA).
According to the report, the entire amount of Rs 29.23 crore (central share Rs 25.82 crore, State Share Rs 2.87 crore and interest Rs 0.54 crore )was transferred in December 2010 and kept at the disposal of State Project Director, Samagra Shiksha, J&K Noor Society. In January 2011, the J&K government released an additional State share of 2.87 crore for the scheme.
According to the CAG report, the revision of cost was stated to be submitted to Project Approval Board (PAB) in 2010-11. “Subsequently, amendments were made to existing provisions by Department of School Education and Literacy (DSEL), Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), GoI, which allowed (April 2014) the State of Jammu and Kashmir an opportunity to revise the cost based on State Schedule of Rates (SSoR) in respect of the sanctioned 19 model schools for the EBBs as a one-time exception,” reads the report.
According to the report, a proposal based on the State Schedule of Rates 2012 was submitted to MHRD in August 2014 by the government of J&K.
“No relevant details of the revised proposals were provided on the grounds that Directorate of Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) remained submerged in devastating floods in the Valley in the month of September 2014 for a period of more than 25 days and most of the records in hard copy were destroyed,” the CAG pointed out.
According to the CAG report, scrutiny of records of State Project Director, Samagra Shiksha in January 2019 revealed that the grants-in-aid of Rs 25.82 crore and State share of Rs 5.74 crore were parked in the saving bank account of J&K Noor Society, which was implementing agency of RMSA scheme.
The report points out that after lapse of ten years, the Government has not taken adequate initiative for implementation of the scheme in the State.
“ Thus, failure of the department to take timely action despite relaxation of norms by DSEL, MHRD, GoI for utilisation of amounts received from the GoI for establishment of Model schools not only resulted in non-utilisation of Rs 44.13 crore over a period of ten years but also deprived the intended beneficiaries from quality education ,” the report reveals.
In his reply, the chief accounts officer, Samagra Shiksha, Jammu and Kashmir submitted that the amount initially approved for establishment of model school was inadequate to take the construction work, however, the case regarding revision of cost submitted (2010-11) to Project Approval Board (PAB) was undecided (June 2020). “The reply is not tenable as the Department has not availed the benefit to either revise the unit cost estimate of each school or to meet the financial burden despite relaxation of norms by DSEL, MHRD, GoI. Besides, after delinking of the scheme from the GoI support in 2015, the Department was to arrange the additional funds from its own resources for which no steps were taken and Rs 44.13 crore continued to be held in the bank account.
The report further states that the matter was referred to the department/ government in May 2020 but their replies were awaited.
