Telangana Deprived of 111 PG Medical Seats due to non-release of Funds by State Govt: CAG audit

The CAG report on the General and Social Sector of Telangana, for the year ended March 2018, has also pointed towards the inability of the colleges to expend the funds sanctioned as the reason for the shortfall of those PG seats in the State.

CAG has been empowered to audit all receipts and expenditure of the Government of India and the State Governments. Revealing more details regarding the matter, the CAG report submitted a few days ago mentioned that although the Government of India released a total Rs 40.76 crore for the scheme titled "Strengthening and up-gradation of State Government Medical Colleges for increase in PG seats", the State Government didn't release its share i.e. Rs 25.09 crore.

The matter was reported to Government in August 2018 and reminded in October 2018; their reply is awaited.

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The mentioned centrally sponsored scheme was launched by the Government of India in November 2008 during the 11^th plan period (2007-12). For this purpose three Government Colleges in Telangana State were identified. These colleges were Osmania Medical College (OMC), Hyderabad, Kakatiya Medical College (KMC), Warangal and Gandhi Medical College (GMC), Secunderabad.

The objectives of the scheme were to strengthen the infrastructure (buildings, equipment) in the medical colleges in order to facilitate increase in seats for Post Graduation (PG) courses in identified disciplines. While the Directorate of Medical Education (DME) was to implement the scheme, the Telangana State Medical Services & Infrastructure Development Corporation166 (Corporation) was to take care of the civil works and procurement of equipment.

Although at first the scheme was to be jointly funded with the State Government on a 75:25 basis, it was later revised to 60:40. The scheme period was also extended up to 2018-19.

However, the CAG report has further mentioned that the DME audit conducted in those three medical colleges revealed that the 1^st GoI was released in October 2011, the State didn't release its share despite several requests from the colleges. Although GoI informed that in the absence of release of matching State share, it would not be possible to release further funds, a second installment worth Rs 17.19 crore was released in September 2018 after the extension of the scheme period.

Further, the report mentioned that the infrastructure facilities in the colleges were to be increased commensurate with the increase in PG seats. Thus, the Technical Empowered Committee had recommended civil works costing Rs 18.70 crore and purchase of equipment worth Rs 40.84 crore in the three colleges- a total of Rs 59.54 crore on the creation of infrastructure. However, the colleges could spend only 14.61 crores being 25 percent of the total sum approved by the Committee.

"None of the Medical Colleges had spent the amounts released in respect of faculty although there was shortfall in faculty," mentioned the CAG report.

As a result, the scheme could not be fully implemented in any of the three identified Medical Colleges and 60 percent (168 seats) of the envisaged 279 seats were increased in the identified disciplines. This led to a loss of 111 PG Medical seats on the part of the state.

"Thus, despite release of entire GoI share of funds for the scheme, non-release of funds by the State Government coupled with inability of the colleges to expend the funds sanctioned led to shortfall in increase (40 percent) of PG seats to the extent and the commensurate creation of infrastructure," stated the CAG report.