*Responsibilities to be fixed for creation of liabilities
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, June 16: In order to give boost to the developmental activities, the Planning and Development Department has issued directions to the District Development Commissioners to formulate District Capital Expenditure Budgets, a new concept of creating durable assets, for approval during the forthcoming District Development Board meetings, which would be chaired by Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed himself.
Under the Capital Expenditure Budget, focus would be entirely on completion of approved ongoing works in a time-bound manner, clearance of liabilities on account of approved ongoing works and above all ensuring availability of adequate State Share for availing funding under the Centrally Sponsored Schemes, which otherwise remained a major issue till now.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that from the current financial year, the State Government has abolished Plan and Non-Plan heads and replaced them with Current and Capital Expenditure. Under the Capital Expenditure, the focus would be on making assets on the ground so that in the years to come the Government can start the mapping of asset creation with money that has been spent. This was impossible in the earlier classification.
“Pursuant to the acceptance of the 14th Finance Commission Award, State Government has prepared a Revenue Expenditure Budget to be funded by the Finance Department and a Capital Expenditure Budget to be allocated and monitored by the Planning and Development Department”, they said, adding “the Revenue Expenditure Budget to be funded by the Finance Department has taken over the committed liabilities of Plan Revenue from the current financial year”.
As far as formulation of Capital Expenditure Budget at the District level is concerned, the Planning and Development Department has worked out Sector-Wise ceilings following discussions with the Administrative Departments and the District Development Commissioners.
Now, B R Sharma, Principal Secretary to Government, Planning and Development Department, has directed the District Development Commissioners to formulate District Capital Expenditure Budget for approval by the District Development Boards after which the same would be released by the Planning and Development Department, sources said.
Keeping in mind the difficulties being faced till date in making available State Share under Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS), which has even resulted into blocking of further installments by the Union Ministries, the Planning and Development Department has directed that provision of State Share for availing funding under Negotiated Loans, commitments made by the Chief Minister and the Planning and Development Department shall be the first charge on the regular allocation.
“The minimum State Share for availing funding under the Centrally Sponsored Schemes has been separately earmarked and this amount is to be utilized only for such CSS which have been approved for funding by the concerned Central Ministry”, said a Circular No.3-PD dated June 15 issued by the Principal Secretary Planning, adding “in case the earmarked State Share is inadequate, the same shall be met with from the regular allocation as a first charge”.
About the completion of approved ongoing works, the Planning and Development Department has made it clear that the implementing agencies can use up to 33% of current year’s allocation of Capital Expenditure Budget for completing approved ongoing works/schemes requiring up to Rs 50 lakh for their completion. Similarly, the implementing agencies can also use up to 33% of the current year’s allocation of Capital Expenditure Budget to clear liabilities on account of approved ongoing works funded under SPA/Normal Capital in the last year’s Plan Budget for which the bills were presented to the Treasuries but could not be honoured till March 31, 2015.
The Planning and Development Department has made it clear that since the thrust during the current financial year will be on completion of the approved ongoing projects/schemes, no new work shall be taken up for execution unless 25% funds are available and earmarked for execution during the current financial year.
In order to check duplication/replication of schemes, the Planning and Development Department has directed all the departments to carry out a comprehensive exercise in this regard to ensure completion and consolidation of ongoing schemes besides to make their plans objective oriented. Moreover, departments have been asked to weed out schemes which have very minimal effect on the developmental outputs.
While advising the departments to delineate the works programme, the circular said, “this is imperative to ensure that different schemes instead of competing will complement each other”.
In another important directive, the Principal Secretary Planning has made it clear that in case any scheme has been taken up without providing adequate funds, the responsibility for the same will lie with the Administrative Secretary, Head of Department/DDC and the concerned District Officer in respect of State Sector. Similarly, under the District Sector it will be the responsibility of DDC and the concerned District Officer.
The Planning Secretary has explicitly conveyed to the DDCs that the allocation of resources in the District Capital Expenditure Budget for Agriculture, Horticulture, Cooperative, Industries, Social Welfare, Welfare of SC/OBC and State Motor Garages sectors has been shifted to the State Sector for focused attention.
Quoting examples, he said that the allocation of agriculture lands under District Sector has been subsumed in the State Sector. Similarly, under the Teachers Education Sector, DIET buildings have been taken up costing Rs 5 crore to Rs 10 crore and as it will not be possible to complete these buildings in the District Sector, the allocation of this sector has also been shifted from District to State Sector.
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