AHMEDABAD: The 2023 Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report has flagged a major lapse by the Gujarat government in managing the Nirbhaya Fund for women’s safety. The Gujarat State Police Housing Corporation Ltd (GSPHCL) held Rs 118.75 crore of the Nirbhaya Fund unutilized, earning Rs 3.21 crore in interest during FY 2020-21 and 2021-22 (up to June 30, 2021). According to rules, Rs 1.92 crore (60% of the interest) should have been remitted to the Consolidated Fund of India. Instead, GSPHCL wrongly deposited the entire Rs 3.21 crore into the State Consolidated Fund, violating financial norms.A CAG report has pointed out a significant underutilization of the Nirbhaya Fund. The audit reveals that Rs 143.75 crore is locked in committed liabilities, with Rs 25 crore unspent at Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation and Rs 118.75 crore held by Gujarat State Financial Services Ltd. Also, Rs 57.66 lakh earmarked for the Safe City Project and Cyber Crime Prevention against Women and Children under this scheme has remained unutilized as of March 2023, even after five years.CAG’s State Finances Audit Report for the year ended March 31, 2023 reveals that unutilized amount of grants-in-aid pertaining to Nirbhaya Fund was parked with the Gujarat State Financial Services Ltd through GSPHCL.The Government of India set up the Nirbhaya Fund to enhance women’s safety through targeted projects. Administered by the department of economic affairs and overseen by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, this non-lapsable fund supports proposals aimed at improving women’s security.Between 2018-19 and 2020-21, the joint commissioner of police, Ahmedabad City, received a grant of Rs 220.11 crore from the government of India and the state government. According to the Utilization Certificate (UC) submitted in July 2023 to the Ministry of Home Affairs, Rs .36 crore (34.69%) was used, with the remaining Rs 143.75 crore listed as committed liabilities. However, the audit found that of this amount, Rs 25 crore was unspent and held by the AMC, while Rs 118.75 crore was parked with Gujarat State Financial Services Ltd (GSFS) through the Gujarat State Police Housing Corporation Ltd (GSPHCL) as of August 2023.The audit found that as of March 2022, Rs 150.02 crore in unutilized grants-in-aid under the Nirbhaya Fund scheme was held with GSFS through GSPHCL. According to the scheme’s funding pattern, costs are split 60:40 between the Government of India and the state, and interest earned should be deposited with the Centre and the state in the same ratio.
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