Panchayats misusing funds, says minister

GOVT TO GO FOR THIRDPARTY AUDIT OF PANCHAYATS WITH HELP OF CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS TO EXPOSE MISUSE OF FUNDS RUNNING INTO CRORES, SAYS BAJWA

LUDHIANA: Punjab rural development and panchayats minister Tripat Rajinder Bajwa on Saturday said that funds running in crores are being misused by panchayats in the state, hampering development in villages.

Bajwa said the Punjab government has now decided that a third-party audit of panchayats across the state will be conducted with the help of chartered accountants (CAs) to expose the misuse of funds.

“Crores of rupees are being allocated to panchayats, but majority of villages are still in shambles. The fact that drains and lanes are being built frequently indicates that there is something wrong with the use of funds by panchayats,” he said while speaking at an event of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, Ludhiana Chapter, here.

“Sarpanches are not afraid of anyone anymore. Funds are being misused and benefits are not reaching the common man,” the minister said. Regarding the third-party audit, he said, “To begin wit,h some villages will be chosen and CAs will be asked to hold audit of panchayats there.

He said there are 12,500 villages in the state and the government does not have adequate manpower to hold audit of panchayat funds. Speaking about the water crisis in the state, the minister said that there is a need to get water audits done as well. “We should know as to how many litres of water each farmer is utilising. Water usage of each family should also be known to the government so that we can form a policy to curb wastage of water.”

Ludhiana North MLA Rakesh Pandey was also present on the occasion.