AP not providing funds for biodiversity: CAG report

Vijayawada: The CAG in its report of Andhra Pradesh found that the state does not have any biodiversity conservation strategy and action plan. Biodiversity management committees (BMCs) have a vital role to play in the implementation of the Act.

The government of AP had constituted the AP State Biodiversity Board (Board) in June 2006 to advise and assist state government in implementing the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 (Act) in the state. Even after a decade since its formation, the Board has not attained the level of preparedness necessary for undertaking conservation of biological diversity in the state.

The CAG report stated that the government of India had established the National Bio-diversity Act in October 2003.

At the state level, the government of AP constituted the AP State Biodiversity Board in May 2006. After the bifurcation of AP state, the Board was bifurcated in March 2015.

As per the Act, the main functions of the State Board are to advise state government on matters relating to the conservation of biodiversity, sustainable use of its components, equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the utilisation of biological resources, regulation by granting of approvals for requests for commercial utilisation or bio survey and bio utilisation of any biological resource by Indians.

The CAG report stated that every local body shall constitute a biodiversity management committee (BMC) within its area for promoting conservation, sustainable use and documentation of biological resources.

The audit observed that only 2,908 (21 per cent) out of a total of 13,725 local bodies in the state had formed BMCs as on June 2017. While formulating the AP State Biological Diversity Rules, government had not stipulated any time frame for the constitution of BMCs by local bodies in the state. In the last 12 years since the formation of the Board, the AP government did not nominate any representatives from the Panchayat Raj and the Municipal Administration departments as ex-officio members of the Board.

The CAG report stated that red sanders are scarce and high-value biological resources grown in the five districts of Chittoor, YSR Kadapa, Kurnool, Prakasam and SPS Nellore in the state.

As per information furnished by the Board, red sanders are grown in areas under 348 villages in 47 mandals of four districts (except Prakasam district). However, out of these 348 villages/47 mandals, only 162 gram panchayats and three mandals had formed BMCs.

Biodiversity management committees (BMCs) were not formed in 79 per cent of the local bodies in the state.

The Board had not even built a database of biological resources available in the state. The Board did not have regular staff as government did not sanction any posts.

Government was not providing adequate funds to the Board which was adversely affecting the Board’s functioning.

CAG endorsed YSRC view on Polavaram: Buggana

Reaffirming that the party’s stand on the irregularities in the Polavaram project had been vindicated, YSR Congress said that the CAG report had endorsed their views on the issue from land acquisition to kickbacks.

Party leader and chairman of PAC in the AP Assembly, Buggana Rajendernath said, “The project was taken over only to benefit contracts and get kickbacks and this view was endorsed by the CAG. The report basically focused more on the irrigation sector and the irregularities therein. It has questioned the methodology involved in monitoring the expenses, which is a slap in the face for the state government.”

“The state has failed to reach the target and meet the timeline of the project and it has only rehabilitated 4 per cent of the families that needed to be shifted, the CAG has pointed out,” he said. He added that many other works had not yet begun and the Centre had also not released the funds as the state had failed to show proper accounts. The serious irregularities come in the form of escalated disbursement of money to contractors over and above the earmarked '18,300 crore under various heads.