CAG detects another scam in J&K: For 7 years rent was paid for hostels where not a single student stayed [details]

The successive governments in J&K paid rent from 2014 to 2021 for two private buildings hired as hostels for OBC students but not even a single student availed hostel facilities.

After exposing mass irregularities in two agricultural universities of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has detected another wasteful expenditure by the successive governments in J&K from 2014 to 2021.

In its latest report, CAG pointed out that the Jammu and Kashmir State Advisory Board for the Welfare and Development of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) hired hostels for OBC students.

The stated objective behind the decision was to provide affordable hostel facilities to the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) students of rural and remote areas, who did not have educational institutions near their places of residence.

Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India is empowered to audit all expenses from the combined fund of the union or state governments.Reuters

The Board decided that until the land was identified for the construction of hostels, these were to be run in buildings taken on a rent basis.

Hostel buildings were taken on a rent basis without conducting survey

Audit scrutiny of records (March 2021) of the Secretary, Jammu and Kashmir Advisory Board for Welfare and Development of OBCs revealed that the decision (April 2012) of renting hostel buildings was taken without conducting a survey of the willingness of OBC students to avail hostel facilities.

Audit noticed that the Board had hired in September and October 2014 two private buildings, each having a capacity of twenty-five students for use as hostels for OBC students, at Jammu and Srinagar.

Though several notifications were published in local newspapers between October 2014 and March 2019 calling on OBC students undergoing studies in government schools to avail of the hostel facilities, no OBC student applied for availing of the hostel facility.

The Secretary of the Board apprised in October 2018 to the Secretary, the Social welfare Department that the Board was unnecessarily paying huge monthly dues to building owners since September and October 2014) without any advantage.

The audit further noticed that despite the fact that no OBC student had applied for availing hostel facility, the Board continued hiring the buildings during the period from September 2014 to March 2021, even after intimation by the Secretary of the Board in October 2018, and incurred expenditure of Rs 66.05 lakh 32 on rent, upkeep, and furnishings of hired hostels for six years. This had resulted in an avoidable wasteful expenditure of Rs 66.05 lakh.