Directorate of Library Service has no book procurement policy: Office of the Principal AG, Assam

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Office of the Principal Accountant General (Audit), Assam, observed during the audit that the Directorate of Library Service, Assam, does not have any specific book procurement policy. It neither asked for any requirement of books from district/sub-district and rural libraries nor did it seek suggestions or feedback from readers, scholars, students or other national or international institutes for the selection of titles.

In its observation on the procurement and distribution of books by the State Directorate of Library Service issued on May 18, 2022, the Accountant General (Audit) said that the choices for book selection before the book selection committee narrowed and depended on proposals submitted by suppliers. "In the absence of any policy, the State Directorate of Library Service could not ensure the acquisition of critically acclaimed books," the Accountant General (Audit) observed.

The Accountant General (Audit) observed that the State Directorate of Library Service published an advertisement only in a single newspaper instead of two – one vernacular and one English) — that too, without mentioning required qualifications, evaluation criteria of bidders etc., in blithe disregard to the criteria laid on the selection of vendors by the committee. The audit found that the Directorate purchased 134 titles without qualifying the criteria mentioned in the advertisement.

An order (BB12/2000/7 dated 14-09-2001) provides for drawing a maximum amount of Rs 5,000 by self-cheque from banks for day-to-day activities. However, if it is necessary to draw more than the ceiling, the authority concerned needs to make the payment through 'account payee crossed cheques.

However, the test-cheque records of the State Directorate of Library Service revealed that the department had maintained an HDFC Bank account at its Ambari branch for the RRRLF (Raja Rammohan Roy Library Foundation) fund matching scheme. The RRRLF, Kolkata, released funds to the Director for payment to the contractors/suppliers relating to improvement of the library service in the state. "The directors had withdrawn Rs 60.54 lakh and paid to the suppliers for procurement of goods. The withdrawal of money from 14-12-16 to 01-04-22 through self-cheques not only constitutes a violation of financial discipline but also facilitated mismanagement/misappropriation of government money," the Accountant General (Audit) said.

Following a case (263/2022 u/s 406/409) filed at Panbazar Police Station, Guwahati, by the present Director of Library Service Dinmoni Das and another, the police arrested Pranab Goswami, the husband of former Director of Library Service Rumi Goswami, recently. Rumi Goswami, however, obtained anticipatory bail from the Gauhati High Court.

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