NEW DELHI:
The Health Ministry budget is likely to face a massive Rs 6000-crore cut on account of non- utilisation of the entire budgetary allocation even as its Minister J P Nadda today maintained that no flagship programme will be affected due to the downsizing.
Nadda also noted that this was done by the Finance Ministry due to under-utilisation of funds by the agencies concerned, including the states.
“But the Health Ministry is not at all affected. No project, flagship programme, no programmes of giving equipment, medicines, infrastructure are suffering because of this,” Nadda told reporters here.
“That is given to understand…You are using the word cut but I will use it as under-utilisation” he said when asked if he was confirming that the cut will be to the tune of Rs 6000 crore, which was 20 per cent of the total allocated budget.
Emphasising that he was laying stress on the word utilisation rather than cut, Nadda said that it was the states which had to spend the funds.
“Frankly, no flagship programme is getting affected because of the cuts. In the last quarter one certain level is marked. According to utilisation, assessment is done. What we will be the expenditure in three months, that is also to be assessed.
“The Ministry of Finance does that. But there is no dearth of funds in any flagship and ongoing programmes which have been the areas of less or more concerns. We have adequate funding for all concerns,” the Minister said. (AGENCIES)
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel