Tripura law minister Ratan Lal Nath on Wednesday said new guidelines would be framed for monitoring and maintaining the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF). He added that monthly statements would be processed and there would be an annual audit.

“Till date, there have been no rules, regulations, and guidelines for Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF). Now, the state government has decided to prepare guidelines, rules and regulations for spending the funds of the CMRF. Monthly statements will be processed and the funds will also be audited,” Nath said.

He said the procedure for release and utilisation of funds would be under the overall control of the chief secretary and he might delegate the power to any suitable officer of appropriate rank for administering the fund and its supervision.

“A monthly reconciliation statement shall also be prepared for appraisal of the chief secretary. Overall supervision, monitoring, and control of funds regarding deposit allocation and audit will remain with the chief secretary,” the minister told reporters.

On monitoring and maintenance of the funds, Nath said the bank accounts would be operated by the drawing and disbursing officer (DDO) and the cashier jointly. The DDO and the cashier shall be responsible for the maintenance of proper accounts of the transactions.

“Bank shall provide weekly bank account statements in details. The cash book, records and passbooks fixed deposits and registers should be inspected by the chief secretary at least once in a quarter. An annual account shall be prepared and audit shall be carried out by the directorate of audit once in a year.”

Nath said the government needs to have transparency in all its acts. Amid lockdown due to pandemic over coronavirus across the state, many people, organisations, establishments, students, doctors, schools, among others, donated to the CMRF. The amount stands till date is Rs 16.1 crore while Rs 6.51 crore has been contributed to the welfare of common people.

Nath said in the state cabinet meeting, it was also decided that an amount of Rs 1,000 would be given to each auto-rickshaw and e-rickshaw drivers who have registered with valid commercial driving licences.