Kathmandu-The 63rd Annual Report of the Office of the Auditor General has shown that similar types of irregularities continue to recur as expected improvements have not been made in issues highlighted in previous reports.

Presenting the report, Auditor General Toyam Raya said the annual report was submitted in accordance with Article 241 of the Constitution of Nepal, which defines the responsibilities of the Auditor General, and Article 294, which mandates the submission of the annual report. He said the report was prepared through audits conducted on the basis of regularity, economy, efficiency, effectiveness, and propriety in the mobilization of public resources.

According to the annual report for the fiscal year 2024-25 submitted by Raya to President Ram Chandra Paudel, audits worth Rs 9.484 trillion were completed across 5,526 entities during the fiscal year. This included audits of 3,050 federal ministries and agencies involving Rs 2.917 trillion, 1,124 provincial ministries and agencies involving Rs 320.30 billion, 721 local bodies involving Rs 1.109 trillion, and 577 committees and other institutions involving Rs 447.77 billion.

Raya said total irregularities amounting to Rs 88.09 billion were identified during this year’s audit. Of the total amount, Rs 53.48 billion belonged to federal government offices, Rs 5.22 billion to provincial government offices, Rs 19.04 billion to local bodies, and Rs 10.32 billion to committees and other institutions.

Among the total 188,914 audit irregularity paragraphs, 94,438 were policy related while 93,476 were record based irregularities. The cumulative outstanding irregularities have now reached Rs 755.17 billion. Of this amount, Rs 378.54 billion belongs to federal government offices, Rs 33.96 billion to provincial government offices, Rs 220.47 billion to local bodies, and Rs 122.20 billion to committees and other institutions. Compared to the previous year, cumulative irregularities increased by 2.99 percent.

The report states that Rs 787.86 billion related to additional audits, revenue, reimbursements, foreign grants, and loans still require timely action. This year, irregularities worth Rs 63.12 billion were settled through audit clearance, including Rs 47.44 billion from federal government offices, Rs 1.74 billion from provincial government offices, Rs 7.86 billion from local bodies, and Rs 6.08 billion from committees and other institutions.

Before submitting the annual report, the office issued 902 reports containing recommendations and opinions after reviewing audits of federal ministries and agencies, provincial ministries and agencies, and local governments.

As a result of the audit process, Rs 14.63 billion was recovered and deposited into the relevant revenue accounts this year. Of the recovered amount, Rs 576.9 million was recovered during the audit process, Rs 904.8 million after the preliminary report was sent, and Rs 13.15 billion during the audit clearance process.

Raya said the Office of the Auditor General coordinated with stakeholders through its website, FM radio, and virtual interactions to make audits more transparent, impartial, and qualitative. The office had also arranged systems to receive complaints through a toll free number and email during the audit process.

According to Raya, the office completed performance audits on 15 subjects and one environmental special audit this year.