'Odisha failed to use Rs 774 crore educational funds'

BHUBANESWAR: Even as the Naveen Patnaik government keeps patting its back for development works, the latest CAG report tabled in the assembly on Monday blasted his government for poor implementation of flagship education programme, Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA), besides welfare schemes for backward districts such as Kandhamal and Gajapati.
The report for general and social sector for the year that ended in March 2015, tabled in the assembly on Monday, said the state failed to achieve milestones achieved by the Centre even after six years of implementation of RMSA due to poor monitoring at state and district levels."Due to tardy pace of its works, the state could not utilise Rs 774 crore central aid. Though the Centre had approved Rs 1,752.44 crore, the state used only Rs 977.76 during 2009-2015," the report said.
RMSA was implemented in 2009 for providing access, quality and equity in secondary and higher secondary education. Out of the 89,341 habitations, 3,167 don't have secondary schools within the prescribed distance of five km.
As many as 685 schools don't have all-weather buildings, 2,468 don't have headmaster room, six schools were housed in tents, 59 schools don't have blackboards, 1,452 schools don't have boys toilets, 802 don't have girls toilets. As many as 1,114 don't have electricity connections, the CAG said.
Though the government approved recruitment of 6,184 teachers and 5,025 non-teaching employees, only 1,394 teachers and no non-teaching employees were recruited during 2010-2015. The government could establish only 773 out of 1,535 new schools proposed in the perspective plan and failed to recruit 4,790 teachers.
The audit watchdog also pointed out that available manpower were not distributed rationally. In 240 schools, 2,359 teachers were posted against a need of 1,821, resulting in 538 excess teachers.
However, in 974 other schools, 4,256 teachers were posted, 2,946 short of the requirement of 7,202. In Rayagada district, three schools had two physical education teachers (PET) each while 52 schools had no PET at all.
Pointing out loopholes in implementation of Biju Kandhamal 'O' Gajapati Yojana (BKGY), the special area development initiative launched in 2009-10, the CAG said though the state released Rs 114 crore to the two districts, the projects failed to meet the need due to lack of comprehensive development plan. Altogether 201 villages in Gajapati and 531 in Kandhamal, which were left out under central schemes, were not covered for electrification by the BKGY. The districts could use around 50% of available funds.