Over ₹7,100 crore revenue arrears to be recovered, CAG tells Kerala government

“The total arrears of revenue as on 31 March, 2021, on certain principal heads of revenue amounted to ₹21,797.86 crore of which ₹7,100.32 crore was outstanding for more than five years,” it said.

The Combined Compliance Audit Report (Revenue Sector), the government of Kerala for the period 2019-21 of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India was tabled in the state Assembly on Thursday.

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₹6,422.49 crore pending

“Out of the total arrears, ₹6,422.49 crore (29.46 percent) is pending from the government and government/ local bodies. This necessitates urgent intervention from the government to clear the outstanding arrears,” the report said.

The CAG pointed out that arrear figures are furnished by the departments every year only at the instance of audit.

The absence of prompt reporting of arrears to the Revenue Department and pursuance by the departments concerned for realising the arrears are the main reasons for the huge pendency of arrears.

“The arrears of ₹7,100.32 crore were pending for more than five years in 12 Departments and includes those of Excise Department from 1952,” it said.

The cases referred to the government for write-off (₹1,905.89 crore), were also not being pursued by the departments/offices concerned.

An amount of ₹6,143.28 crore is pending under stay orders, which is 32.79 percent of the total arrear amount.

The departments need to take effective action to vacate the stay orders and to realise the amounts, the CAG added in the report.

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