DIMAPUR, FEBRUARY 13 (MExN): The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee today severely criticized the “blatant mismanagement of the Rashtriya Madhyamik Siksha Abhijan funds by the Nagaland Education Mission Society (NEMS).”
A press note from the NPCC Media Cell slammed the Nagaland state government’s inability to fill up vacancies of both teaching and non teaching staff under RMSA as sanctioned by the GoI, the delay in disbursement of salaries and the downgrading of 129 out of 147 newly upgraded Government High Schools across the state.
NPCC informed that the Ministry of HRD, Government of India had, from 2009-10 till 2012-13, sanctioned Rs 6292.18 lakhs to the state for implementation of RMSA, according to reply furnished in the State Assembly. However, while furnishing reply through an RTI, the NEMS furnished the total amount sanctioned by the GoI as only 5874.78 lakhs, a shortfall of 417.40 lakhs from the figure given in the Assembly. NPCC added that the actual expenditure incurred was only 5708.495 lakhs, thereby “highlighting a financial misappropriation of 583.685 lakhs.”
It added that the out of the Rs 6292.18 lakhs, sanctioned by the GoI (MHRD), the total amount released to the districts was only Rs 22,02,47,531 (Recurring components – 4,69,13,197 and Non Recurring – 17,33,34,334), excluding Consultancy fee amounting to 8,60,94,480. The total amount spent on civil works amounts to Rs 2139.05 lakhs, while the Aizawl based North East Consultancy Services was paid Rs 8.60 crores “without any tangible services rendered,” informed the NPCC.
It stated that releasing only one third of the total sanctioned amount of Rs 6292.18 lakhs to the districts “exposes the functioning of the NEMS, where a major portion of the sanctioned amount are utilized without reaching the intended beneficiaries on ground.”
NPCC further informed that when 147 Government Middle Schools were upgraded to Government High Schools from 2009- 2013, the GoI had sanctioned a total of 1380 posts of both teaching and non teaching staff under the RMSA and accordingly released an amount of Rs 2424.05 lakhs for salary.
Out of 1380 posts sanctioned by the GoI from 2009-13, including Non Teaching staff, NPCC stated that the department had appointed only 202 Graduate Teachers as on April 17, 2013, while the remaining posts are yet to be filled.
It then stated that the NEMS had deposited an amount of Rs 2121.869 lakhs for teacher’s salary into the Department of School Education Head of Account from March 2012 to March 31, 2013. However, the actual salary paid to the 202 Graduate Teachers from April 2013 to October 2013 was only Rs 379.25 lakhs. Citing the surplus of Rs 1742.619 lakhs available for teachers appointed under RMSA, NPCC stated that the question of delaying the teacher’s salary should never arise.
NPCC stated that the said “irregularities” have jeopardized the career of thousands students studing in government schools and called upon the Nagaland CM, who is also the President of NEMS, to bear responsibility.
