*Hiring of vehicles instead of making purchases being planned
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Sept 17: In a new initiative, the Government has decided to accomplish the process of budget preparation for next financial year by December this year and all the Administrative Departments have been directed to forward their recommendations to the Finance Department not later than September 20, 2015.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that during the past several years the exercise for preparation of budget for next financial year was used to begin in the month of November but this year the exercise has been pre-poned as a part of new initiative of the present dispensation.
Moreover, the new initiative is in line with the Government Order No.2380 of 1976 dated October 14, 1976, which laid down scheme of decentralized planning under Single Line Administration. By way of this order, the Government had fixed timeline for completion of Budget process in December.
“The Finance Department contemplates to accomplish the process of budget preparation 2016-17 by December 20 and all the departments/Head of Departments have been directed to start exercise in the right earnest to enable examination, compilation and consolidation of these estimates in the Administrative Departments for onward submission of the same to the Finance Department”, reads circular dated September 3 issued by Navin K Choudhary, Commissioner Secretary to Government, Finance Department.
He has asked all the Administrative Departments to carry out due scrutiny of estimates and forward their recommendations to the Finance Department not later than September 20. A detailed set of instructions for preparation of budget proposals have also been furnished to the departments.
“Initiation of exercise for preparation of budget for next financial year at this stage would give sufficient time to the Government to hold discussions at various levels including different sections of the society and deliberations of Finance and Planning Departments with all other departments”, sources said.
Pointing towards erstwhile Plan Revenue Expenditure, sources said that the Finance Department during the course of the year has found huge variations in the projections made by the departments and the actual transfers made by the Planning and Development Department in respect of the erstwhile Plan Revenue Expenditure transferred to the Finance Department. “With a view to know the actual requirement with respect to the sanctioned posts the departments should project complete details separately on such transfers”, the Finance Department said.
It has been made clear to the departments that no creation of posts shall be anticipated and budgeted for either in Revised Estimates for the current financial year or in Estimates for ensuing financial year. “A separate statement showing provision for vacant posts as kept in the Revised Estimates of current financial year and in the Budget Estimates of 2016-17 should also be appended with the Budget proposals and such provisions will not be reduced at source by the Administrative Departments”, the Finance Department said.
About Budgetary Liabilities or Debt, sources said that under Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act, 2006, the information on the State Government liabilities is required to be published along with Budget documents, adding the Finance Department has directed that such an information be provided to the concerned officers of the Finance Department, who will be held personally accountable for any delay or incompletion.
“The departments, which have been authorized to incur Security Related Expenditure have been directed to estimate the requirement pertaining to this sector and show the same in their Budget proposals so that estimates for ensuing financial year are consolidated and forwarded to the Ministry of Home Affairs in time for incorporation in the Union Budget.
Highlighting some of the instructions for preparation of Budget proposals by the departments, sources said that Finance Department has directed that the proposals for purchase of motor vehicles should be supported by the number of vehicles available with the department indicating detailed status of these vehicles and their deployment.
It has been made clear that failure to provide supporting details will render the department liable for adhoc cut in provisions available under “Purchase of Motor Vehicles” and “POL”. Moreover, departments have been advised to come up with proposals for hiring of vehicles instead of making purchases, if such a measure can mean economy of expenditure.
Since Union Government is laying much thrust on Gender Responsive Budgeting, the Finance Department has directed all the departments to enclose with the Budget proposals the new areas requiring further follow up action during 2016-17, sources said.
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel