DIMAPUR, OCTOBER 8 (MExN): The Nagaland Public Rights Awareness and Action Forum (NPRAAF) continued its pressure on the state government to clarify on specific fund allocation and utilisation issues; this time focusing on the Modernisation of State Police Forces scheme.
A press note from the NPRAAF today informed that as per the Ministry of Home Affairs’ (MHA) ‘Annual Reports 2016-17’, the Centre sanctioned an amount of Rs 10.70 crore for Nagaland for the year 2016-17 under scheme for Modernization of State Police Forces (MPF).
However, it revealed that as per the State Finance Department, Expenditure ‘A’ Branch released a total amount of Rs 35.61 crore for the year 2016-17 on four different occasions dated; 28 September 2016 (Rs 8.62cr), 19 December 2016 (Rs 12.50cr), 22 February 2017 (Rs 1.99cr) and 18 March 2017 (Rs 12.50cr).
This results in excess release of Rs 24.91 crore (Rs 35.61cr – Rs 10.70cr), the NPRAAF pointed out.
“From where did the State Government receive additional funds from the Centre for MPF Scheme for the year 2016-17 enabling the FD to release an excess amount?” the forum questioned.
If so, it asked that the Finance Department may provide the Government of India sanction order/letter number. If not, then, from where did the FD receive an additional amount of Rs 24.91 crore which was released to the Police Department under MPF for the year 2016-17? It asked.
“It will be a wonder of wonders as to how the Police Department proposed and the FD simply cleared it,” the NPRAAF stated and urged upon the Finance Department to clarify on this issue.
Further, the NPRAAF informed that the Finance Department also released a total amount of Rs 20.02 crore for the year 2017-18 on two occasions dated; 23 May 2017 (Rs 14.49cr) and 13 June 2017 (Rs 5.53cr) under MPF Scheme.
“It is highly doubtful that the FD released only the GoI sanctioned amount, since the tentative allocation of MPF for Nagaland during 2017-18 as per Ministry of Home Affairs was Rs 13.12 crore thus resulting in excess release of fund again,” the forum viewed.
“Looking at the trend of the last financial year when excess amounts were released, the public cannot simply write off on this,” it opined, and therefore asked the Finance Department to reveal the total sanction from the GoI to Nagaland State during 2017-18 under MPF Scheme and how much amount has been released so far.
It further questioned whether funds provided for components such as mobility, weapons, equipment, training equipment, forensic equipment etc under Non-Plan; and funds provided for construction/upgradation of police stations/outposts, police lines, police housing, construction of forensic science laboratories and training infrastructure (buildings) under the Plan budget of the scheme have been utilized judiciously and transparently. All these components, it stated, “come under strong scrutiny.”
This entire issue may be clarified by the Finance Department for the year 2016-17 and 2017-18 under MPF Scheme, the NPRAAF said, while adding that “to whichever department funds might be released, it all originates from the FD which needs to keep checks and balances on the flow of the state’s finance.”
It meanwhile said that “no amount of clarification from the FD on excess release can be justified unless proper sanction order from the GoI is indicated” and appealed to the State Vigilance Commission to probe this issue.
“In the meantime, if there is any lapse on the state inquiry,” the NPRAAF informed that it would beseech upon central investigating agencies like CBI, NIA etc to probe into the “entire fiasco in the FD and different departments.”
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