Shocking Revelation: CAG Report Exposes Critical Flaws in Direct Benefit Transfer System’s IT Infrastructure – Guwahati News
Key Findings in CAG Report on Assam DBT Cell’s Infrastructure and Fraudulent Payments
Guwahati: A recent report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) highlighted significant deficiencies in the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) Cell of the Assam government. The report, presented by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pijush Hazarika on the final day of the autumn session of the state assembly, pointed out the lack of adequate IT infrastructure and a robust database necessary for the effective implementation of various central and state government schemes under the DBT framework.
Multiple Pensions and Excess Payments
One of the most concerning revelations is the detection of 2,424 cases where beneficiaries claimed pensions in multiple districts under the Deen Dayal Divyangjan Pension Scheme between 2018-19 and 2019-20. This fraudulent activity resulted in an excess payment of Rs 1.90 crore to 1,901 beneficiaries. Additionally, the report found 451 instances where students availed themselves of the Pre-matric Scholarship for ST more than once, leading to an overpayment of Rs 10.22 lakh.
Scholarship Discrepancies
The audit further uncovered irregularities in scholarship payments for hostel facilities. Payments were made to students of schools that did not have such facilities, leading to fraudulent payments of Rs 5.9 lakh across 86 out of 101 schools examined. The report also flagged a significant issue where Rs 2.98 crore was disbursed to 3,158 students who were not enrolled in any schools.
Broader Implications and Next Steps
These revelations raise serious questions about the efficacy and transparency of the DBT system in Assam. The deficiencies in IT infrastructure and the alarming rate of fraudulent activities call for immediate corrective measures. The state government needs to address these issues to ensure the integrity of the DBT system and to prevent the misuse of public funds.
In other news, Haryana government school students in Class 8 can apply for the National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship Scheme, and Zoho has launched a new secure payment gateway for businesses.
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Original Story https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/guwahati/cag-report-reveals-issues-with-dbt-cells-it-infrastructure/articleshow/112938051.cms
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