India, March 2 -- Meghalaya's Revenue and Disaster Management Department is under scrutiny after the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) flagged misuse of Rs 1.07 crore from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) to compensate victims of illegal coal mining, which violates established rules.

The 2023 audit report, presented in the Assembly on February 27, reveals that payments were made in July 2019. These included Rs 16.50 lakh distributed among 14 deceased and five injured persons from Mengkulgittim in Rongsa Awe village, South Garo Hills.

Another Rs 90 lakh was allocated to 18 families of miners killed at Ksan coal mines in East Jaintia Hills, at a rate of Rs 5 lakh per beneficiary.

The CAG noted that providing relief to 37 indiv...