Irregularities in textbook printing

KOZHIKODE: A local audit at the Directorate of Higher Secondary Education has found a major irregularity and possible corruption in printing and distribution of textbooks for Plus One and Plus Two in the state.

A local audit conducted by the office of the Principal Accountant General’s office has found out that Kerala State Centre for Advanced Printing and Training (C-apt), which is responsible for printing and distributing the textbooks, violated the government agreement and outsourced the works without inviting tender applications.

The report noted that the appreciation committee constituted under the chairmanship of the Director of Higher Secondary Education, in which C-apt was also a member, fixed the textbook prices without preparing a cost sheet showing cost of paper, printing charges, stationery, commission, distribution charges etc. The committee also failed to produce the cost sheet even after repeated direction from the audit team.

“The Government order to give preference in awarding printing works to C-apt indicates the intention of ensuring the printing order to this agency. But C-apt was printing and distributing textbooks by awarding the works to private partners. Thus, C-apt defeated the purpose of granting print order to them without tendering,” the local audit report said.

The local audit report noted that the government through an order had informed the DHSE that the revenue by way of sale of textbooks could be credited to the government account under the appropriate revenue receipt head while payment towards printing charge of textbooks should be effected from the budget allocation made for this purpose.

The government had directed the Director of HSE to adopt the same procedure for remittance of sale proceeds of textbooks and payments to C-apt towards cost of textbooks supplied.

However, DHSE has not implemented the procedure by government so far and facilitating C-apt to realise the excess over printing cost.

The report said a meeting of the appreciation committee, which decided the price of textbooks, took place on March 2014 and fixed a price of Rs. 44 for Plus One textbooks.

The minutes of the meeting is silent about the method of fixation of price. The file maintained by DHSE did not contain any kind of cost sheet estimating the cost of books. “In reply to an audit enquiry, it was admitted that cost analysis sheet is not available,” the report said

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