Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Apr 18: In a major embarrassment for Jammu and Kashmir, the Union Human Resource Development Ministry has refused to grant any financial assistance to the State under its two major flagship schemes keeping in view its worst performance during previous financial year. More shockingly, the State has been directed to refund Rs 92 crore assistance, which was released under Model School component but could not be utilized until the closure of this component by the NITI Ayog recently.
Highly placed sources in the Human Resource Development Ministry told EXCELSIOR that the State officers faced the embarrassment during the series of meetings taken by Vrinda Sarup, Secretary School Education and Literacy of the Union Ministry yesterday. These meetings were called in order to assess the performance of Jammu and Kashmir in the implementation of Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) and to assess its requirement under these flagship schemes during the current financial year (2015-16).
Based on the report received from the Ministry’s consultant for Jammu and Kashmir, the Secretary noted with anguish that J&K’s performance in the implementation of both these schemes was worst, sources said.
She observed that first installment of Rs 135 crore released to Jammu and Kashmir under SSA during the beginning of 2014-15 financial year remained unspent till date mainly because of non-release of the same by the Finance Department of J&K to the Project Director SSA, which otherwise was mandatory as per the guidelines of the scheme, sources disclosed.
“Due to diversion of funds by the Finance Department, which otherwise were meant exclusively for utilization in achieving the objectives of SSA scheme, not only Rs 135 crore remained unutilized, the subsequent installments worth Rs 500 crore could not be released to J&K by the HRD Ministry”, sources said.
It is pertinent to mention here that installments under the schemes of HRD Ministry are released only after the adhoc grant as well as matching State share is released to the concerned Project Director and furnishing of Utilization Certificates.
While refusing to convene Project Approval Board meeting for SSA, the Union Secretary asked, “what is the objective of convening this meeting and sanctioning more funds for the current financial year when you could not utilize even the first installment of previous financial year. “It is unfortunate that when other States of the country are utilizing the funds for betterment of students community J&K diverted the funds to other sectors despite being aware of the fact that such a step would stall release of subsequent installments”, she remarked.
Though promissory note of the State Finance Department expressing commitment to release funds to Project Director SSA was placed before the Secretary, the latter remained unconvinced and remarked, “we want statement of accounts and not promissory note”. Accordingly, no funds could be earmarked for J&K under SSA for current financial year.
Even on RMSA, the State officers faced embarrassment from the HRD Ministry team as it was observed that out of Rs 415 crore released under this scheme during previous financial year, an amount of Rs 394 crore remained unspent till date as Finance Department failed to keep this money at the disposal of concerned authorities for utilization.
While refusing to grant any more financial assistance for J&K vis-à-vis RMSA, the Union Secretary pointed out that Rs 65 crore sanctioned for the State for construction of 68 Girls Hotels could not be expended till date. “This is notwithstanding the fact that J&K was the only State in the country, which had been provided such a whopping funds under this component”, she remarked.
Moreover, it was observed by the HRD Ministry that Rs 92 crore released to J&K under Model School component remained unutilized. While other States of the country received optimum benefit of this component since its introduction in 2011, J&K failed to construct even one Model School, sources said.
Since this component has been closed by the Ministry on the directions of the NITI Ayog, HRD Ministry officers directed the State to refund Rs 92 crore as the same remained unutilized till date and cannot be put to use in future, sources informed.
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