NEW DELHI: Delhi Lt Governor V.K. Saxena has again flagged the gross violation in accounting procedures, financial mismanagement and inordinate delay in auditing in the public education sector under the Higher and Technical Education Department of the Government of Delhi headed by deputy CM Manish Sisodia.
Recently, disposing off a file in his capacity as the Chancellor, for audit of accounts of the Delhi Pharmaceutical Sciences & Research University (DPSRU) for five years between 2015-16 to 2020-21 by the CAG, the LG expressed serious concern over the undue delay in the audit of the University. He directed the Vice Chancellor to submit an explanation for the delay along with details of officers responsible for this lapse within 15 days, a LG office source said on Tuesday.
A proposal to get the accounts of DPSRU pertaining to 2015-16 audited by the CAG was cleared by the then LG in May 2019. The DPSRU had moved the proposal under the provisions of Section 27 of the University Act and Section 20 of the CAG (Duties, Powers and Conditions of Service), Act 1971, instead of the relevant and applicable Section 19(3) of the CAG Act. This essentially delayed the audit, the source added.
The CAG had also asked that the entrustment of audit of accounts of four other Universities -- Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology Delhi (IIIT-Delhi), Indira Gandhi Delhi Technical University for Women (IGDTUW), Delhi Technological University (DTU) and Netaji Subhash University of Technology (NSUT) be also conveyed under Section 19(3).
As per the source, it took the Delhi government over one year to comply with the advice of the CAG and finally a proposal to this effect under the above mentioned Section 19(3) was made in August 2022, wherein the file for the same yet again came to the LG's Secretariat from the CM without his signature, with an observation on the file by the Joint Secretary to CM, to the effect that 'Hon'ble CM has seen and approved', said the source.
The LG who had recently sought a report on falling enrolments and rising absenteeism in Delhi government schools has expressed grave concern over the unjustifiable and undue delays of more than 5 years in audit of accounts of Universities under Delhi Government by the CAG.
The LG, who is also the Chancellor of the state universities has directed the Training & Technical Education/Higher Education Department to take immediate action to entrust the audit of accounts of all state universities in accordance with the statutes in place to the CAG. He has also directed that in future entrustment of audit accounts of all Universities is done immediately on its becoming due, without any delay.
The LG as Chancellor has also come across serious and continuous procedural lapses on the part of the state universities in Delhi and has taken a very serious view of it.
Accordingly, the LG Secretariat has also written to all Vice Chancellors to ensure that meetings of the Court of University are held at least twice in an year. The letter from the LG Secretariat has underlined that the university courts are entrusted with the statutory responsibility for reviewing the broad policies and programs of the university and suggest measures for the improvement and development of the universities.
The court meetings' annual reports, annual accounts of the universities and reports of the auditors should also be presented for consideration and review, the letter from the LG Secretariat has underlined.