The Meghalaya government allegedly treated the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) like a discretionary account, illegally diverting more than ₹2.15 crore for purposes unrelated to disaster relief, including donations to other states and even the cleaning of the Shillong Secretariat, according to a critical report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).
A test check of records from the Revenue and Disaster Management Department revealed that ₹2 crore was transferred to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF) without obtaining the mandatory approval of the State Executive Committee (SEC). Of this amount, ₹1 crore was recorded as a “loan” to the CMRF. However, the SDRF is a restricted fund with strict guidelines governing its use and cannot be used as a lending facility for other government accounts.
The audit further pointed out that the diverted funds were used for high-profile donations to other states. An amount of ₹1 crore was donated to the Kerala Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, while another ₹1 crore was sent for relief efforts for victims of Cyclone Fani in Odisha. While these contributions were presented as humanitarian assistance, the CAG noted that the use of SDRF funds for such donations is not permitted under the established financial guidelines.
The report also highlighted that the diversion extended to administrative purposes. In March 2020, the department transferred ₹15.45 lakh from the SDRF to the Secretariat Administration Department for sanitisation and cleaning of public areas within the Shillong Secretariat. The CAG flagged this expenditure as a clear violation of guidelines, stating that disaster relief funds are meant strictly for supporting victims of natural disasters and not for maintenance of government offices.
In its reply in October 2023, the department acknowledged that the funds had been used for inadmissible purposes and stated that the matter would be placed before the State Executive Committee for “regularisation,” effectively attempting to retrospectively legitimise the expenditure. However, as of February 2024, there has been no update regarding the regularisation process or recovery of the funds, raising concerns that the financial irregularities remain unresolved.
