BJP MP G.V.L. Narasimha Rao on Tuesday demanded a high-level inquiry into allegations of the Personal Deposit (PD) accounts which, he said, ‘are being indiscriminately operated in violation of financial regulations’.
In a letter addressed to the Governor Biswa Bhusan Harichandan, the MP requested him to direct the State government for a special audit of PD accounts under the supervision of the Comptroller and Audit General (CAG), in addition to an independent investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). He said the CAG, in its latest report, had said that the State government had deposited huge sums of money in Personal Deposit (PD) Accounts and spent ₹41,000 crore sans transparency and was indulging in malpractice.
“The money in the PD accounts is meant for use only in emergencies. It is to be used only on a limited basis for administrative convenience, not for large scale diversion of funds or for evasion of financial rules and regulations,” said Mr. Narasimha Rao.
‘Misappropriation of funds’
He maintained that public finances must be transparent and their utilisation should be in accordance with the regulations. “If this does not happen, it gives scope to misappropriation of funds. The allegation faced by the ruling party are serious in nature,” he said.
Recalling that similar allegations were made during the TDP regime, he said the CAG report of 2016-17 financial year alleged that more than ₹53,000 crore were spent from personal accounts in violation of the rules. Mr. Narasimha Rao said he had written a letter to the then Governor E.S.L. Narasimham seeking an inquiry then also.
He said according to the CAG, ₹53,000 crore during the TDP rule and ₹41,000 crore under the YSRCP regime, both put together, nearly ₹1 lakh crore was spent from the PD accounts by the two governments without transparency. “Whether these are PD accounts or ‘dopidi’ (theft) accounts is a matter of grave concern for the people and it needs to be investigated, he said.
