Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, May 29: The State Government has extended full authorization for financial year of 2014-15 to all Government Departments and District Development Commissioners (DDCs) for expenditure in plan and non-plan sectors pending final approval of the annual plan, which was likely to be delayed in view of new Government formation at the Centre.
The Centre is yet to constitute the new Planning Commission of India (PCI) as previous Planning Commission stood dissolved. The Commission’s Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia and all Members have resigned after change of the Government.
Official sources told the Excelsior that in anticipation of delayed approval of annual plan for 2014-15 as the new Government was just settling down at the Centre, the Planning and Development and Finance Departments of the State Government have authorized all Government Departments and DDCs for full authorization of plan and non-plan expenditure respectively, which would help them to go ahead with the development works and release salaries and pension of the Government staff.
The Planning and Development Department had to authorize expenditure on account of plan while the Finance Department had to give nod for non-plan expenditure, which includes salaries and pension of the Government employees.
Initially, the Government had given authorization of plan and non-plan expenditure to the Government Departments and DDCs for first three months of the current financial year, which has been extended for full financial year unless the Planning Commission of India approved annual plan of the State.
The Government would make payments under plan expenditure after the plan amount is released by the Centre while non-plan expenditure will be met from own resources of the State.
Sources said the Government was expecting constitution of the new Planning Commission by the Government of India in the next few days. Only after settling down, the new Commission would start holding talks with representatives of different States for approval of current year’s annual plan. However, the new Planning Commission could go for early approval of annual plan of election bound States like Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra and Jharkhand as the Model Code of Conduct would come into force there.
“Once the Model Code of Conduct is enforced by the Election Commission of India, the States can’t announce new development schemes and works. Therefore, the States had to announce new works for current fiscal year of 2014-14 well before the MCC comes into force and that is why the Planning Commission would give priority to election bound States,’’ sources said.
The Government was expecting Rs 7300 crores worth annual plan for 2014-15, Rs 600 crores under Prime Minister’s Re-construction Plan (PMRP) and Rs 4000 crores under Centrally Sponsored Schemes totaling Rs 11,900 crores.
The Government has not projected any hike in annual plan for 2014-15 as compared to 2013-14. The State had been given 7300 crores worth plan in 2013-14. In 2012-13 also, it had been promised Rs 7300 crores worth plan but eventually ended up getting only Rs 5800 crores as the Planning Commission had imposed a cut of Rs 1500 crores.
However, with the change of Government at the Centre, the State was not sure whether it would get full amount of Rs 11,900 crores, which have been projected in the budget for plan, PMRP and Centrally Sponsored Schemes.
In the meantime, the Government has directed its all Departments to get ready with Department wise projection of the plan to project them before the new Planning Commission as and when required after the new Commission is set up.
“We want to be fully prepared before the new Commission so that our projections for plan, PMRP and Centrally Sponsored Schemes are not reduced,’’ sources said, adding that directions to this effect have already been issued to all the Departments.
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