Andhra Principal Secretary refutes charges of unaccounted payment of Rs 41,000 crore

VIJAYAWADA: The State government on Friday claimed that nothing was amiss with its payments position and maintained that everything was happening as per the book.In a release, Principal Finance Secretary Shamsher Singh Rawat refuted the allegations made by Public Accounts Committee Chairman Payyavula Keshav that large sums in excess of a staggering Rs 41,000 crore remained unaccounted for.

Keshav on Thursday met Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan and requested a full-fledged audit of the state Finance department be ordered as large sums in excess of a staggering Rs 41,000 crore remained unaccounted for in the last two financial years.“It appears that the said amount is being transferred or withdrawn in gross violation of Andhra Pradesh Treasury Code,” Keshav told the Governor.Referring to the Principal Accountant General’s letter to him related to the discrepancies in payments, Rawat said the issues raised by the auditor have “arisen due to operation of adjustment transactions”.

“Funds released to the Personal Deposit accounts which could not be utilised by the end of the financial year lapsed as per the Andhra Pradesh Financial Code.  The adjustments (are) made among the PD accounts. Failed payments are also reprocessed,” Rawat said.  Other reasons for the discrepancies, as reported by the PAG, were rectification of the accounting unit of expenditure within the same Head of

Account and adjustment of TDS recovered from the regular bills to the GSTIN, the Principal Finance Secretary added. He also claimed that all transactions were carried out in accordance with the procedure and provisions of the Andhra Pradesh Treasury and Financial Code.“This is being informed to the Principal Accountant General,” Rawat said.