What happened
India's Comptroller and Auditor General tabled its annual report in April 2026 revealing that 33,973 utilisation certificates worth ₹54,282 crore remain pending across 15 ministries — meaning the funds were spent, but nobody formally confirmed what they were spent on. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs leads the list with ₹18,272 crore in unverified expenditure, followed by Higher Education at ₹14,359 crore. The oldest outstanding receipt dates to 1985-86, predating the internet, mobile phones, and several serving ministers' entire political careers. A further ₹12,754 crore was found booked under the wrong heads — which in accounting terms means 'we know it was spent, we just cannot agree on where.' The government responded with what the National Herald described as pin-drop silence.