The Comptroller and Auditor General’s (CAG) report tabled in the Jharkhand Assembly on 25th August 2025, revealed that several departments of the State Government failed to utilize nearly a quarter of their allocated funds in 2023-24. Of the total budget provision of Rs. 1,41,498.79 crores, only Rs. 1,08,754.44 crores was spent, leaving 23.14% unutilized.
Audit Exposed Unutilized Provisions and Excess Spending
The report noted that supplementary provisions worth Rs. 13,499.10 crores in 2022-23 turned out to be unnecessary, as actual expenditure did not even reach the level of original allocations. It also pointed to an additional expenditure of Rs. 268.02 crores under one appropriation in 2023-24, which still requires regularization. Meanwhile, pending utilization certificates against grants-in-aid rose sharply, with over 47,000 certificates involving Rs. 1.33 lakh crores still not submitted by March 2024.
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Irregularities Found in Pension Payments
Significant lapses were found in pension disbursements. Analysis of the Integrated Financial Management System (IFMS) showed excess payments of Rs. 11 crores in 344 pension cases across 29 treasuries. The audit highlighted weak application controls, duplicate payments, and errors in billing. Additionally, projects worth crores remained unproductive, including two bridges over the Damodar and Gawai rivers where Rs. 15.09 crores was spent but access roads were never built, and a Rs. 5.09 crores building for a mall in Bokaro that lies unused.
Debt Ratio Improved But Fiscal Gaps Remain
On the macroeconomic front, the report highlighted that Jharkhand’s debt-to-GSDP ratio fell to 27.68% in 2023-24, its lowest in five years, after peaking at 36.23% in 2020-21. However, the State’s fiscal deficit widened to Rs. 6,331.76 crores, while the revenue surplus dipped by 17% compared to the previous year. The CAG recommended timely responses to audit observations, recovery of losses, and quarterly meetings of audit committees in each department to strengthen financial discipline.
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