CAG raps Tourism Ministry for violating rules
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has pulled up the Ministry of Tourism for hiring contingency staff in its Indiatourism offices abroad violating rules and frittering away more than Rs 83 lakh in the process.
By PTI |
NEW DELHI: The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has pulled up the Ministry of Tourism for hiring contingency staff in its Indiatourism offices abroad violating rules and frittering away more than Rs 83 lakh in the process.
CAG also criticised the Ministry of its failure to stop continued operation of a post by it in Indiatourism office in Dubai and incurring an irregular expense of more than Rs 57 lakh by way of payment of salaries.
As per financial powers delegated to the director-level government representatives abroad, he can employ only Class IV staff paid from the contingency.
But this is subject to condition that the staff so employed was not for work of a regular nature or against the vacant posts in regular establishment.
CAG in its report noted that "in disregard of these instructions," Indiatourism offices in London, Milan and Paris had been engaging contingency paid staff from July 2001 to March 2005 against the vacant posts and incurred irregular expenses of Rs 83.17 lakh.
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In the given period, the Indiatourism offices in London, Milan and Paris paid Rs 24.13 lakh, Rs 30.48 lakh and Rs 28.56 lakh as salaries of contingency staff engaged in the vacant posts in violation of rules.While Indiatourism office at Paris approached the Ministry in November 2003 and February 2005 for approval to hiring a part-time help and a secretary, the Milan office asked for two part time helps and one information assistant.
The Ministry in its reply to CAG said the London office engaged temporary staff against the vacant posts pending recruitment of regular staff.
Similarly, the Paris office was facing difficulties in appointment of a candidate to the post of secretary-cum-stenographer, the ministry said adding "the benefits offered were not attractive enough."
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As for the Milan Indiatourism office, it was appointing temporary staff on a regular basis only during peak session to cope with the heavy workload, the Ministry argued.Dismissing the Ministry's contentions as "untenable", CAG said, "Heads of Indiatourism offices abroad had not been delegated with the powers to employ temporary contingency paid staff against the vacant posts or for work of regular nature."
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Turning its attention to Dubai Indiatourism office, CAG rapped the ministry for letting the post of stenographer-cum-secretary continue till January 2004 even after its abolition in February 1997 and coughing up Rs 57.27 lakh as salary for the period.CAG said the ministry's "reply clearly showed that even it was not sure about the reasons for allowing the post to continue."
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