LALITPUR: A huge chunk of budget spent in various programmes undertaken by the Ministry of Local Development (MoLD) remains unaudited, all thanks to lack of transparency. Moreover, chances are slim for the recovery of the amount, encouraging those who are involved in such irregularities.

According to MoLD, some Rs 1.69 billion is the unaudited amount in the 75 District Development Committees (DDC), 58 Municipalities, along with other departments, commissions and committees of the ministry.

Devi Prasad Gyawali, under secretary, who is also the chief of the financial administrative section, MoLD, said that Rs 2.42 billion was a total of unaudited amount in the fiscal year 2006/07. “We were, however, successful to recover Rs 720 million in the past years of which Rs 12.3 million was recovered in the last fiscal alone.”

Of the total uaudited sum, Rs 1.17 billion was spent by 75 DDCs and 58 municipalities, Rs 401.7 million was spent by various departments and commissions, and Rs 220 million under various programmes undertaken by the MoLD.

The Dalit Commission, Gumba (Monastry) Commission, Marginalised and Disadvantaged Communities Commission, Commission for Preservation of Endangered Ethnic Minorities, Rural Area Development Board, Solid Waste Management and Resource Mobilisation Centre, Local Development Training Academy, among other programmes, are those bodies responsible for increasing the non-audited budget of the MoLD.

A high ranking official at the ministry said that the non-audited budget could be more than that revealed. “Such amount might be far more than what has been seen as there isn’t a specific data of such budget,” he said requesting anonymity.

According to Gyawali, the amount was published by the Office of Auditor General. “The real amount may vary from what has been published,” he admitted.

There is less chance to recover the entire non-audited budget, said Gyawali. “As the spent money lacks transparency, it’s almost impossible to recover the amount from the departments, commissions and other MoLD bodies.”