Incomplete planning

 
Published: Thursday 15 June 2000

the environment ministry has been severely criticised by the Comptroller and Auditor General ( cag ) of India for its "unrealistic budgetary assumptions and slackness in implementing schemes." According to the latest cag report submitted to the Parliament, since 1996 the ministry "ended persistently" with unspent provisions.

The reasons for unspent provisions, as stated by the ministry, ranged from delays in approval to slow implementation of schemes. For instance, of the Rs 8.73 crore assigned for the first phase of the Ganga Action Plan, Rs 6.23 crore could not be spent because of slow implementation.

The cag report also points out that despite the ministry having made provision each year since 1996 for setting up an environment tribunal to speedily dispose cases, it has not made any disbursements in this regard in the last three year. The report stated that it reflects "unrealistic budgeting on the part of the ministry as it continued to make provisions each year without even identifying the action plan."

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