Finance Deptt sits on around Rs 80 cr BADP funds of last financial year

No authorization conveyed for utilization in 11 border distts

Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, July 8: Creating impediments in meeting special developmental needs of the people living in the border areas, the Finance Department is sitting on around Rs 80 crore funds sanctioned by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs under Border Area Development Programme (BADP) during last financial year for identified blocks in 11 districts of the State.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that State Government is supposed to submit Annual Action Plan under Border Area Development Programme latest by May every year so as to pave the way for timely release of funds by the Border Management Division of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
However, the Annual Action Plan of 2017-18 financial year was approved by the State level Steering Committee headed by Chief Secretary on August 6, 2017 and thereafter it was submitted to the Border Management Division of MHA by ending September 2017. Due to this there was delay on the part of MHA in finalization of the plan.
Due to late submission of the Action Plan by the State Government, the first instalment of BADP funds was released by the MHA in the month of December 2017 only and the second installation of around Rs 80 crore was released in the last week of March 2018.
As the financial year was about to close, it was decided at the State level that funds under second tranche would not be immediately released to the Deputy Commissioners of border districts, sources said, adding “though first quarter of the current financial year has lapsed yet the Finance Department has not given authorization for utilization of around Rs 80 crore funds given under second tranche of Action Plan of last financial year so far”.
“We have submitted a proposal to the Finance Department along with the Utilization Certificates (UCs) of the already released funds with the request to give authorization for utilization of around Rs 80 crore funds”, an officer of the Planning, Development and Monitoring Department said on the condition of anonymity.
He further said, “no doubt funds under BADP are non-lapsable but timely utilization of the same helps in meeting the developmental aspirations of the people of identified border blocks in 11 border districts of the State”. He, however, claimed that approved works were going on even in the absence of funds.
According to the sources, the BADP Annual Action Plan for the current financial year was submitted to the Border Management Division of MHA by ending May this year so as to ensure timely release of funds and utilization on ground besides to avoid last year like situation.
“However, the size of the plan for current financial year would be less in comparison to the plan of last financial year”, they said while disclosing that this year’s plan has been worked out at Rs 93 crore as against Rs 133 crore of last year.
“This has been done keeping in view special instructions from the Ministry of Home Affairs”, sources said while expressing inability to specify the reasons behind the same.
“The Planning, Development and Monitoring Department is expecting approval of current year Action Plan during the current month or in August and this will help in accelerating the ongoing developmental works in the identified border blocks and to pave the way for initiation of new works strictly as per the guidelines of the BADP”, sources further said.
They,  at the same time, are also expecting authorization to utilize second instalment of last financial year by the Finance Department without any further delay so as to meet the developmental aspirations of the people of border areas although belated.
It is pertinent to mention here that the main objective of the BADP is to provide essential infrastructure to the border dwellers through convergence of Central/State and BADP schemes. The programme is under implementation in the identified areas in border districts of Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Rajouri, Poonch, Kupwara, Baramulla, Bandipora, Shopian, Leh and Kargil.

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