Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 13: The Finance Department of the Government of Jammu and Kashmir has said that the funds under the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) shall be non-lapsable.
Financial Commissioner (ACS), Finance Department, UT of J&K, Shailendra Kumar in a circular issued today invited the attention of all the District Development Commissioners, to the guidelines governing the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) Scheme issued vide Government order No. 76-FD of 2025 dated 10-03-2025, particularly paragraph 3, thereof relating to release, deposition and utilization of funds under the Scheme which prescribe the procedure for allocation, release and management of funds.
Referring to paragraph 3, the circular of the ACS said that as per the Scheme guidelines, the funds under the CDF Scheme shall be `non-lapsable’. It further said that any unspent funds under each activity, if available as on March 31 of every year, with the DDCs/ Executing agencies, shall be deposited in the Government Treasury under Account Head No. MH:8229. The DDCs shall furnish details of such unspent balances to the Finance Department at the end of each Financial Year.
The Circular further said that as per paragraph 3.4 of the Scheme guidelines, the unspent balances are allowed to be deposited in Account Head MH: 8229 in Govt Treasury for keeping it available for utilization in the next Financial Year (FY). It has impressed upon all the concerned officers/DDOs that these balances under the deposit head MH: 8229 shall be prioritized as first charge for its utilization under the CDF Scheme in the subsequent financial year to avoid parking of these funds, in the Receipt Head : 8229, leading to delay in the execution/ completion of developmental works. All the officers shall ensure strict adherence to these instructions while implementing the CDF Scheme, the Circular said.
Meanwhile, the Code Division of the Finance Department, in yet another circular issued today referred to the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for incurring of expenditure out of contingencies provided in the DPRs of Projects. It further referred to the Circular No. A/51/2016-B-927/3 dated 08-01-2021 of the Finance department wherein SOPs stand issued for incurring expenditure out of contingency provided in the Administratively approved DPRs of the projects, subject to maximum of 3 % of the project cost. While the expenditure on some of the items out of contingent charges was advised to be incurred as per circular instructions. These include expenditure on laying of foundation stones/ inauguration of projects subject to maximum of Rs 20,000 in case as per PMGSY, GOI guidelines; quality control; hiring charges of vehicles, GIS tagging video-graphy, hiring of consultancy; clearance of road blockages, third party inspections etc.
As the PW(R&B) Department has suggested to inclusion of forest compensation/structure compensation and the utility shifting in the SOPs, subject to maximum of 3 % of the total approved cost of the projects. As per Department, out of 304 projects, 234 projects can be made functional by permitting payment of forest compensation/ utility shifting charges and structure compensation out of contingency charges, the Circular said.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
