E-Paper
Centre’s insistence on CAG audit of PM Poshan scheme in Bengal triggers slugfest
The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal said the CAG is an independent body and the subjects it audits should not be dictated by any ministry
The Union education ministry’s decision to “request” a special audit of the implementation of PM Poshan or mid-day meal scheme in West Bengal by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has triggered a political slugfest in the state, with the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in the state saying that the CAG is an independent body and the subjects it audits should not be dictated by any ministry.
On Wednesday, the Union education ministry said in a statement that it received reports of alleged misuse of PM Poshan funds in Bengal and took cognizance of media reports on instances of deviations in its implementation.
“In view of the above, the Education Ministry has requested CAG for a special audit of implementation of PM Poshan Scheme in the state of West Bengal for the last three financial years. This audit will encompass compliance, performance and financial audit. Necessary corrective action will be taken by the Department (School Education and Literacy) based on the audit report by the CAG,” the statement said.
The TMC also alleged that leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari had suggested such an audit would take place even before a joint review mission (JRM) team from Delhi visited schools in Bengal to conduct surveys between January 30 and February 6. Under the central government-sponsored Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM Poshan) scheme, cooked food is served at government-run schools for students up to Class 8.
Adhikari had demanded a special audit by the CAG and said that he had been assured by Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan that an audit team would visit Bengal after the joint review mission team left the state.
TMC Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy said, “This is clearly a conspiracy by the BJP to deprive school children of their food before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and thus create pressure on the state government. The Centre earlier stopped funds for rural employment under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) with the same vindictive goal.”
“The CAG is answerable only to the Constitution. If it feels that PM Poshan scheme in Bengal needs to be audited, what stops it from auditing PM Care funds set up during the Covid-19 pandemic?” Roy said.
No officer at the CAG’s West Bengal office commented on the issue.
Bengal BJP chief spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya, however, defended Adhikari and the Centre. He said, “PM Poshan runs on tax-payers’ money and the Union government is answerable to the people. We have seen how the JRM team was taken on a guided tour by the state officers. Cooks at the schools they visited were wearing shower caps and gloves which is not the actual ground reality. It was a badly-scripted show. Why is the state government scared of facing the CAG audit if everything is in order?”
Udayan Bandopadhyay, a Political Science professor, however, said, “Although the CAG does not take orders from government bodies, the government could request a probe if it suspects irregularities. One will not be surprised if the audit is conducted.”
