Public Accounts Committee recommends that DUDA should not act as a ‘nodal agency’
Morung Express News
Dimapur | March 21
With not much visible development being witnessed in Nagaland’s eastern districts despite creation of the Department of Under-Developed Areas (DUDA) ten years ago, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has come up with major recommendations.
PAC in its recommendations stated that DUDA should not act as a “nodal agency” but function at par with other Government departments and that it should be headed by a “Minister” instead of an “Advisor.”
According to report of the Comptroller & Auditor General (CAG) on “State Finances” for the year ended March 31, 2012, during 2009-11, five performance reviews on the effectiveness of expenditure and the outcomes thereof were attempted and featured in the audit reports.
Of the five performance reviews discussed in the PAC meetings, the report of PAC was finalized only in respect of one performance review – performance audit of DUDA, the CAG report stated.
Major recommendations of PAC are that DUDA being a government department should not act as a “nodal agency” and that it does not require either District Level Selection Committees (DLSC) headed by the Deputy Commissioners or State Level Screening Committee (SLSC).
Rather, DUDA should act as a government established department at par with other government departments by formulating concrete guidelines for Under Developed Areas Programmes (UDAP) and strictly implement the guidelines of Border Area Development Programme (BADP) of Government of India.
PAC suggested that the Department should immediately move for such functions through “official notification to the effect with immediate effect.”
PAC also recommended that since the department lacks in administrative calibre, it should function under a “minister instead of an advisor” and that the directorate level ministerial staff should also be streamlined by recruiting regular staff and imparting accounting training.
Besides, the department should extend its wings to the Police Engineering Project under the establishment of Home department and should work out modalities to achieve this.
“The department should intimate the fate of Rs. 4 crore released against Angphang Model Village and completion of all 11 components of work within the specific period”, PAC recommended as per CAG report.
The recommendations also include that the department should not maintain leniency to any pressure and abide by its guidelines and objectives framed under UDAP and BADP guidelines.
Further, selection of projects should be done on need basis as envisaged in the perspective plan. Further, the state government should ensure timely release of funds and that utilization certificates should be based on actual utilization of funds.
“Assets created should be promptly handed over to the end users and its proper utilization ensured...project monitoring should be streamlined and the impact of the scheme should be periodically assessed”, the recommendations stated.
DUDA, established on June 23, 2003, is entrusted with the responsibility of improving the economic conditions of the people in the districts of Mon, Tuensang, Longleng and Kiphire, through implementation of a State plan scheme UDAP and the centrally-sponsored scheme BADP.
