Thiruvananthapuram: The previous United Democratic Front government had caused a loss of Rs 90 lakh to the exchequer with pension miscalculations, the Comptroller and Auditor General has found. At least 898 people were given pensions beyond their eligibility.
The government declared 82 schemes in the budget for 2015-16 but 59 of them were never initiated, the CAG report said. The Oommen Chandy government allotted funds for 41 projects but only 23 of them received any money.
About Rs 36 lakh was spent on new vehicles even though the amount was allotted for forest research and the committee was never consulted.
Though Rs 1,18,890 crore was allotted in the budget, only Rs 94,337 was shown as actual expenditure, leading to a 21 percent reduction.
Internal debt rose to Rs 17,141 crore in 2015-16 from Rs 9,391 crore five years ago.
The government spent Rs 6,692 crore for reviving public sector undertakings but the units returned revenue below 2 percent.
Though the state’s revenue receipts rose 19 percent to Rs 11,082 crore, half of this amount was the state’s share in the central taxes and grants from the central government. Kerala’s tax revenue increased by Rs 3,763 crore but the rates still lagged those of revenue streams and the Gross Domestic Product.
Non-tax revenue increased, thanks to higher sales of lottery tickets but net profit was lower because gifts and agents’ commission rose.
Revenue expenditure has increased 9.7 percent, the smallest rise in the last six years.
The government spent 14 percent more on pensions and interests but only 10 percent more on salaries and pensions combined.
The CAG report, tabled before the Legislative Assembly, urges the Finance Department to check if the allotted funds had been utilized on time.
