India, Aug. 13 -- The Board of Apprenticeship Training (BOAT), Mumbai used Rs.17.34 crore meant for Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe (SC/ST) apprentices to pay stipends to General-category candidates, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has found.

The findings are part of CAG's report on central autonomous bodies, comprising a series of audit on institutions under the education ministry.

According to the report, tabled in Parliament on Wednesday, BOAT Mumbai had received separate grants for SC, ST and General-category apprentices. During 2020-21 to 2022-23, it engaged 142,393 apprentices, including 10,736 SC and 3,607 ST candidates. The audit found a 25% shortfall in SC engagement and 72% shortfall in ST engagement against...