Opposition BJP Seeks Probe into Marketing Board Accounts
Shimla: Serious financial irregularities have come to light in the 2023–24 audit report of the Himachal Pradesh State Agricultural Marketing Board, with over ₹110 crore in advances remaining unsettled and a discrepancy of nearly ₹49.25 crore flagged in deposit works. The findings have triggered sharp political reactions, with the Opposition BJP demanding a thorough investigation.
According to the State Audit Department’s observations, a total of ₹110,63,62,295 disbursed as advances to the Executive Engineer, employees, and other organisations for construction works and related purposes remains pending for adjustment. Of this amount, the Executive Engineer alone accounts for ₹95.52 crore. The audit report notes that several of these advances are years old, yet the Board has neither obtained Utilisation Certificates nor reconciled the accounts.
The report also highlights a discrepancy of ₹49.25 crore in deposit works carried out for various market committees. The Board had collected advances from committees for construction projects but reportedly did not issue Utilisation Certificates. Auditors further observed that the Board showed the committees’ assets as its own under “work-in-progress” in the balance sheet, which improved its financial position on paper.
Additional concerns were raised over variations between employees’ Contributory Provident Fund (CPF) accounts and corresponding bank balances. The audit also flagged that grants worth ₹74.45 crore received from the Central Government and the Himachal Pradesh Government were shown as balances in the balance sheet despite being utilised for Mandi Committees’ operations.
The BJP reacted strongly to the findings. BJP Chief Spokesperson and MLA Rakesh Jamwal termed the audit observations as evidence of “serious governance failures” under the Congress government. He said the pending advances and accounting discrepancies were not minor lapses but issues involving large sums of public money meant for farmers and mandi infrastructure.
Jamwal demanded an independent and thorough probe by a competent agency, immediate registration of criminal proceedings against those found responsible, and a public clarification from the Chief Minister on the status of the unadjusted ₹110 crore. He also sought a detailed explanation regarding the ₹49 crore discrepancy in deposit works.
The developments have placed the functioning of the Agricultural Marketing Board under scrutiny, particularly as it plays a key role in managing funds and infrastructure for mandis across Himachal Pradesh.
