Pioneer News Service
Ranchi
Babulal Marandi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly, targeted the Hemant government over the CAG report. He stated that the report has exposed the government’s administrative incompetence and financial mismanagement.
Marandi noted that serious flaws have come to light in schemes such as housing for the poor, rural employment, and the ‘Har Ghar Nal Se Jal’ (tap water in every home) initiative. While the government makes grand claims about development, CAG figures tell a different story.
Babulal Marandi pointed out that serious questions have been raised regarding the tendering process under the Jal Jeevan Mission. Competition was extremely low in many tenders. In some instances, contracts were awarded at rates exceeding the estimated cost. He highlighted that work worth approximately ₹148 crore was awarded to a contractor who had negative tendering capacity.
There were only two bidders for tenders in the Ranchi-East and Khunti divisions. The CAG investigation revealed that the demand drafts for both bidders had been purchased by one another.
Marandi stated that the government’s negligence was also evident in the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin. He claimed that out of 22.34 lakh eligible families, 6.32 lakh were left out of the scheme. Poor families had to bear the brunt of the delay in finalizing the list of beneficiaries.
The Leader of the Opposition noted that there were delays in releasing MGNREGA funds as well; funds were released with a delay of 40 to 55 days. He remarked that the objective of MGNREGA is to provide timely employment to needy rural families, yet delays occurred. The CAG also identified certain expenditures that were deemed inadmissible under the scheme.
Babulal also raised questions regarding financial management. He stated that Utilization Certificates (UCs) amounting to ₹1,60,565 crore were pending as of March 31, 2025. Meanwhile, out of the ₹1,50,938.84 crore budget for 2024-25, approximately ₹31,110 crore remained unspent. Of the ₹1,916.63 crore allocated for 13 centrally sponsored schemes, ₹596.02 crore went unspent.
