CAG report exposes huge misuse of funds in AP

The Comptroller and Auditor General presented its report for the year 2022-23 on the Comprehensive Financial Management System in the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly for the first time on the last day of the current Assembly session on Friday highlighting the system’s weak and vulnerabilities including excess payments. The CAG report pointed out that the non-enabling of ‘duplicate checks’ of bills during payment in the CFMS application resulted in excess payments from the exchequer. “This also depicts weak processing controls in the application, besides causing excess payments of Rs 968 crore relating to 1,41,917 bills, between April 2018 and September 2021. The CAG stated that the administrative departments were informed of such payments and recommended for recovery, if not done already.” The CAG report further pointed out, “Due to non-provision of ‘Limit check’ in the application, excessive pensionary benefits were drawn in respect of 2,545 pensioners, covering 193 Treasury Officers/DDOs between April 2018 and September 2021, involving an amount of Rs 218.15 crore.