MUMBAI (AMN) Maharashtra Government has initiated process of preparing a report on all purchases made under the rate contract system in the last 10 years from all government departments. Under the contract system, the buyer and the seller enter into an agreement for supply of items at a fixed price.
Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar has already issued order in this regard. Talking to media, Mr. Mungantiwar said, it was not an inquiry as such but just collection of information so as to understand the facts better.
This move comes in the backdrop of alleged corruption charges against Women and Child Development minister Pankaja Munde in the 206 crore rupees procurement scam.
Revealing misuse of government funds by the previous government, Mr. Mungantiwar said around 31 thousand items amounting to 29 crore rupees bought in Financial Year 2013-14 have been lying unused in various godowns.
According to the minister, leather materials worth 49 lakh rupees and machines costing 21 lakh rupees are also lying unused at Yerwada Jail in Pune since the last five years. Meanwhile, as Maharashtra Government departments have not submitted utilisation certificates of various schemes to the tune of nearly 68,000 crore rupees, the Centre has stopped further grants. Elaborating the details, Mr. Mungantiwar said out of the said fund, almost 18,000 crore rupees was utilised by School Education Department.
He said that many of these bills have been pending since 1992 and the only way out is to waive off this amount.. Mungantiwar informed that the BJP Government has started a bill portal which will keep a track of purchase of 22 items across the State by various departments adding that more items will be added to the list very soon.