*Several explicit orders fail to yield desirable results
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Aug 31: Indicating lack of coordination that too at the top level in the State bureaucracy, heads of several departments are not seeking concurrence of the Finance as well as Planning, Development and Monitoring Departments before projecting new schemes and projects to the high level committees which approve the Annual Action Plans under various Centrally Sponsored Schemes.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that Planning, Development and Monitoring Department is interdisciplinary in nature and acts as a nodal agency to look after the implementation of planning process in the State. This department has also been entrusted with the task of maintaining active liaison with the Government of India, especially with the NITI Aayog to ensure effective implementation of Centrally Sponsored Schemes in Jammu and Kashmir.
Moreover, the Planning, Development and Monitoring Department is keeping an account of all the Centrally Sponsored Schemes especially of the ones where the funding pattern is shared between the State and the Central Governments. It also endeavours to ensure that the State’s matching share for all the Centrally Sponsored Schemes is provided in full.
Keeping in view these functions, the concurrence of Planning, Development and Monitoring Department is indispensable before projecting new schemes and project proposals for inclusion in Annual Action Plans under various Centrally Sponsored Schemes, sources said.
Similarly, the concurrence of the Finance Department is imperative so as to ensure availability of State’s matching share for the new schemes and proposals, sources said, adding “keeping Finance Department on board is also necessary so that projects don’t get delayed for want of State share, which generally remains the major area of concern for almost all the Union Ministries”.
However, it has been observed that several departments while projecting new schemes and project proposals for inclusion in the Annual Action Plans under various Centrally Sponsored Schemes don’t consult the Finance and Planning, Development and Monitoring Departments despite the fact that several orders were issued from time to time on this subject, sources informed.
During Governor’s Rule early this year, this aspect was also brought to the notice of Governor N N Vohra and accordingly explicit directions were issued to all the departments so that holistic view of the new schemes and project proposals was taken before their inclusion in the Annual Action Plan, sources further informed.
Even when the re-orientation of the Planning and Development Department was ordered in the month of April this year, it was stressed that all the departments shall ensure proper coordination with this department for time bound completion of Centrally Sponsored Schemes and Mega Flagship Programmes.
But the lack of coordination again figured during the meeting of State Empowered Programme Committee held under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary on August 17, 2016. During the discussions, it was noted that Chief Secretary is heading a number of High Level Committees which approve the Annual Action Plans/proposals under various Centrally Sponsored Schemes and the concerned stakeholder departments while projecting new schemes/project proposals to these committee don’t seek prior concurrence of the Finance Department as well as Planning, Development and Monitoring Department thereby creating impediments in making available State’s matching share.
Taking serious note of non-compliance to the directions issued from time to time, the General Administration Department today issued fresh circular asking all the Administrative Secretaries to strictly ensure that the Departments of Finance and Planning are duly consulted before submission of new schemes/project proposals.
Similarly, they have been asked to ensure that while recommending new projects to the Central Government, these two key departments are fully kept in picture from a prospective planning angle. “The Administrative Secretaries are further advised to examine the proposals/action plans to be submitted to the designated committees in State at their own level to ensure that such proposals are complete in all respects”, reads the Circular No.36.
It is pertinent to mention here that fate of several projects has been hanging in balance in Jammu and Kashmir for want of concurrence from the Finance and Planning Departments. Such projects were announced by the respective departments without holding any sort of consultations with these two key departments of the State.
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