As a
concluding remark in the Executive Summary, the Comptroller and Auditor General
of India in its report of 2015 about Financial Audit on State finance of
Government of Manipur stated as follows-
There were
4611 Utilization Certificates (UC) involving 2770.18 crore in respect of grants
to 34 departments as on 31.3.2014. There were also delays and arrears in
finalization of accounts by the Autonomous District Councils (ADCs), Autonomous
Bodies and Departmental Commercial Undertakings (DFUs). 3 DCUs have not
submitted their accounts for more than 10 years and other three for more than
20 years.
I wonder how
on earth the Government give full fledge retirement to its servants from
department where accounts have not been clear for more than 20 years.
The concluding
remark of the report recommended, ‘State Government may consider to strengthen
internal controls of the executing agencies to utilize the funds within
stipulated time so as to avoid delays in submission to ensure timely
finalization and submission of annual accounts by the ADCs, autonomous bodies
and DCUs to the office of the Principal Accountant General (Audit) Manipur, and
take special drive to expedite the submission of pending annual accounts and
UCs’.
The recent
moves of the Centre and the State have created ripples in my thought.
THE NAGA ACCORD
THE BILLS
The Protection of Manipur People Bill, 2015; The
Manipur Land Revenue and Land Reforms (7th Amendment) Bill, 2015; and The
Manipur Shops and Establishment (2nd Amendment) Bill, 2015 were passed on 31.8.2015. The tribals, especially those from
Churachandpur saw it as an attempt to undermine their rights. But tribal MLAs
had no remorse for not opposing the bills. Why?
THE FINANCIAL IMPLICATION
The protection of the people of Manipur envisages setting up
of a directorate of immigration in the state. Directorate is headed by a
director, whose pay would go (by contemporary standard would go as high as 1.3
lakh) Below him is expected at least 5 officers of Additional Director or
Deputy Secretary rank, 10 Under Secretaries and a host of gazetted and non-gazetted
officers. The number of sub-ordinate staff (grade C and grade D) in such an
organization would come to at least 50. The pay of senior officers would come
up to Rs. 25 lakhs. Similarly the other staff including Section Officers and
below would be earning an equal, if not higher amount. The bottom line is that
in the event of the setting up of a directorate an amount of atleast Rs. 60
lakh would come to the state from the Central Government under salary head.
Such a large office would require staff cars, petrol, stationery and other
consumable goods for maintenance. Thus the non-plan expenditure to such a
directorate would come to as high as Rs. 80 lakh per month.
EXPANSION OF THE DIRECTORATE
A day may come when the directorate has grown too small to
handle all registrations and renewals in the matter. Eventually district
offices have to be opened in Bishnupur, Churachandpur, Chandel, Imphal (East),
Senapati, Tamenglong, Thoubal, Ukhrul and Imphal (West) all sucking lakhs of
money from the Central Government. In the event of the Sadar Hills district
being formed as demanded by the Kukis, the number of districts would come to 10.
EFFICIENCY OF THE DIRECTORATE
A big question mark is staring one in the face; what would be
the level of efficiency of the directorate? The efficiency may be good or very
good initially. Because the Government has to, at least appoint some
experienced person as head, which would give an impression that the office
really functions. The head retires and the directorate's is thrown open
to the locals. Fake data would be prepared and furnished wherever and whenever.
But what kind of people would consist of the 'locals'?
On December 29, 2015 The Jont Action Committee (JAC) against
the bills met the Chief Minister wherein they were told that the bills were the
brainchild of Corcomm, the undergrounds based in Myanmar. Similarly it is
rumoured that head of a revolutionary army had told all MLAs under his
jurisdiction to not oppose the bills.
So who will
man the directorate and its branches (if there need to be any expansion) ?
