Thirty-two out of 263. That is how many NABARD-funded projects in Jammu and Kashmir were complete by March 2023, according to a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report covered by The Tribune on 3 October. Put differently, 12%.
The figures
- Period audited: April 2018 to March 2023
- Loan assistance consented by the Centre: ₹3,900 crore
- Amount availed by J&K: ₹2,316.37 crore
- Released during 2018-23: ₹844.17 crore
- Actually spent: ₹382.50 crore
- Unutilised: ₹461.67 crore, about 55% of what was released
- Share left unspent each year: between 4% and 72%
- NABARD disbursement as a share of sanctioned loans: between 28% and 84% across tranches
Why the works stalled, according to the audit
The report cites weak planning and prioritisation, missing forest, statutory and encumbrance clearances, defective Detailed Project Reports (DPRs), delays in releasing funds, works that never started, and inadequate monitoring and inspection.
What the audit recommends
It calls for stronger institutional planning, financial discipline, coordination between departments, technical scrutiny and monitoring.
Why it reaches young Jammu
NABARD loan assistance funds rural infrastructure of the kind that shapes how connected a village is to a college, a clinic or a job. The audit is about delivery, not people: it describes systems that let money sit idle while projects waited on clearances and paperwork.
What is not in the report coverage
The coverage does not list which projects or districts were affected, or give the government's reply. We have not guessed either. The audit period ends in March 2023, so the figures are not a picture of today.
Photo: file photo of a village near Patnitop, not of an audited project.
Source: The Tribune.
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