Parliamentary Panel Rebukes the Environment Ministry for Unusual Delay in Submitting WII reports

A parliamentary committee has come down heavily on Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ministry for failing in its "accountability and duty" towards Parliament by causing an unduly delay in submitting annual reports and audited accounts of the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) in the House.

The WII, under Environment and Forest Ministry, has a mandate of building capacity for wildlife conservation and protected area management in the country, and is regularly receiving funds from the Ministry to carry out the job.  

The ‘Committee on Papers Laid on the Table’, in its latest reports, has expressed its disappointment. It noted that the annual reports and audited accounts of the Dehradun-based WII  for the years 2011-2012 to 2015-16 were tabled in the House with delays ranging from three months to 27 months. The annual report and audited accounts of the Institute for the year 2016-17 have not been laid as yet.

The committee headed by Shiv Sena MP Chandrakant Khaire observed that by not according due seriousness to this matter, the ministry in a way has failed in their accountability and duty towards Parliament. It has also sought action taken report in this regard from the Ministry to be intimated within three months from the presentation of the report.

The parliamentary panel has also asked the Ministry to provide a statement if, for any reason, the annual reports and audited accounts of the WII are not laid in the House within the stipulated time. The explanation has to be given strictly within 30 days, as per the procedure laid down by the committee.

In the opinion of the committee, had the ministry been pro-active and given due priority to their parliamentary obligations, the procedural bottleneck could have been easily overcome. 

"It is also noted that unduly long time was taken by the Ministry/WII in finalisation of reports during the years 2011-12 to 2015-16 barring the year 2013-14 although this was well within control of the Ministry/WII," the committee said in its latest reports.

According to the committee, the 2011-12 annual reports and audited accounts of the WII were tabled on March 20, 2015, with a 27-month delay, while 2014-15 reports were laid after a 19-month-delay. The reports for 2012-13 were tabled after a15-month-delay. 

This delay was of seven months for 2015-16, and it was of three months for 2013-14, while the reports are supposed to be tabled within nine months of the closure of accounting year.

The committee was apprised that delay in getting approval of the documents from the competent authorities for these years is the main reasons for delay in laying the documents.

The meeting of the WII Society, which is chaired by Environment and Forest Minister, could not be held during this period. Such avoidable delays, the committee said, lead to inevitable adverse impact on the efficient functioning of the organisation.

The annual report and audited accounts of the WII for the years 2011-12 to 2013-14 were approved during the meeting of the committee held on January 17, 2015.

Taking note of the unusual delay in submitting the reports seriously, the committee observed that the issue of delay in convening the meetings of WII Society should be reviewed at the highest level.

The committee further noted that time taken in the process of reconstitution of the governing body and WII was another reason for the delay in getting approval for the years 2014-15 and 2015-16. It said that it is strange that the Ministry/Institute has taken near about two years for taking decision that the meeting of the governing body could be held in the absence of non-official members as per the procedure. 

The committee, however, was informed by the Ministry that they are working to ensure that the time schedule drawn for the purpose of laying documents will be followed rigorously henceforth.

The parliamentary panel has stated that the monitoring mechanism in the ministry should be strengthened further to ensure that such delays are eliminated.

Ministry had released Rs 1943.20 laks as funds to the WII in 2012-13, which was increased to Rs 2139.49 lakh in 2013-14, to Rs 2224 lakhs in 2014-15 and Rs 2717 lakh in 2015-16. The funds released in 2016-17 were Rs 2650 lakh.
 

(Arun Kumar Das is a Delhi-based journalist and can be contacted at akdas2005@gmail.com)