RABINARAYAN JENA, OP
Bhubaneswar: Utilisation certificates (UCs) for government funds to the tune of nearly Rs 25,938 crore has remained pending, raising questions over financial discipline and the monitoring of public expenditure across several key departments in the state. The issue came to the fore at an exit conference organised by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) September 9, chaired by Finance Department Principal Secretary Sanjeev Kumar Mishra. According to the details presented at the meeting, a total of 26,385 UCs involving Rs 25,938.15-crore expenditure remain outstanding as departments have not submitted the certificates confirming that grants and other funds released to them were spent for the intended purposes.
Of the total, 19,307 UCs involving Rs 23,097.71 crore relate to the period up to 2024-25, while 7,078 UCs involving Rs 2,840.44 crore pertain to 2025-26. Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water department accounts for the largest share, with UCs involving Rs 8,197.80 crore pending — about 32% of the total.
Likewise, Housing and Urban Development department accounts for Rs 7,731.80 crore – 30% of the total pending UCs. The meeting also revealed that Planning and Convergence department has pending UCs involving Rs 2,857.53 crore (11%), while School and Mass Education department has Rs 2,083.94 crore (8%) and Mission Shakti has Rs 2,035.50 crore (8%) pending.
Together, these five departments account for Rs 22,906.48 crore (89%), of the total outstanding amount. A senior finance adviser said a substantial amount had been spent by the Panchayati Raj and H&UD departments in previous years in violation of scheme guidelines, resulting in UCs remaining pending for years. Records discussed at the meeting indicated that the pending UCs date back several years, with some relating to expenditure incurred between 2008-09 and 2023-24. The accumulation of UCs and unresolved audit observations has raised concerns over the departments’ ability to provide timely accounts of public expenditure. Despite repeated reminders from the CAG, the required UCs and responses to audit observations have not been furnished in many cases.
The development assumes significance as the state government seeks to expand public expenditure and attract large-scale investment as part of its broader push to transform the state into a developed economy.
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