SHIMLA: Bringing the functioning of the horticulture department under scanner, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), in its report for the year ended March 2019, said that the state government had not given due importance to horticulture.
The report, which was tabled in the state assembly on August 13, said that the horticulture department was working without a state horticulture policy and long-term master plan detailing strategies and clear milestones for development of horticulture.
It said that the performance audit on “Working of Horticulture department” showed deficient planning, weak financial management, uneconomic and ineffective execution of various horticulture development activities, including creation of infrastructure, supply of improved varieties of plants, postharvest management and ineffective internal control.
The report stated that data collection techniques were not reliable and maintenance of records was improper.
