Monitoring momentum shows signs of strain
*Institutional reforms needed to sustain transparency drive
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Feb 8: A significant declining trend in physical verification of developmental works was recorded during 2024-25, while no verification data has been reported so far for 2025-26, raising concerns over monitoring and quality assurance despite a sustained rise in project execution across the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
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The process of 100% physical verification of completed works/projects was started from Financial year 2021-22 in order to strengthen the institutionalized framework of transparency, accountability and efficient project management across all levels of governance.
Moreover, the initiative was aimed to ensure fiscal discipline, prevent cost overruns and expeditious project completion encompassing indispensable aspects such as accord of administrative approvals, technical sanctions, e-tendering and eventually the timely delivery of developmental benefits to stakeholders.
From time to time, the Finance Department of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir issued directions mentioning that physical verification/inspection of the works should be conducted systematically and shall be evenly planned for the entire financial year.
Further, in order to overcome the shortage of manpower for conducting the physical verification of projects/works executed by various departments under different schemes and programmes, the Planning, Development and Monitoring Department asked all the District Development Commissioners to ensure deployment of the additional staff of Economics and Statistics Cadre available in the line departments within the districts for conducting 100% physical verification.
However, official figures provided in the Economic Survey reveal that although thousands of works continue to be completed every year under UT and District sectors, the pace of physical inspections, which ensure that projects exist and meet public expectations on ground, has slowed considerably.
Since the launch of the physical verification initiative in 2021-22, 2,68,514 developmental works (UT Sector and District Sector) have been completed, averaging around 4,800 projects every month. Out of these, 2,07,468 works, about 77 percent have been physically verified till November 2025, with an average of roughly 3,700 inspections per month.
In 2021-22, a total of 50,418 works were completed, including 15,221 under the UT Sector and 35,197 under the District Sector. Out of these, 48,541 works were physically verified, achieving an impressive 96 percent inspection rate, indicating robust field monitoring in the early phase of the programme.
The verification drive gained further momentum in 2022-23, when 66,217 works were completed–22,673 under UT Sector and 43,544 under District Sector. The administration managed to verify 64,546 works, pushing the inspection rate to 97 percent, the highest recorded during the period under review.
The upward trajectory in project execution continued in 2023-24, with 70,773 works completed, comprising 22,273 UT Sector projects and 48,500 District Sector projects. However, verification numbers declined slightly to 63,761 works, bringing the inspection rate down to 90 percent, reflecting early signs of strain on the monitoring system as execution volumes surged.
A steep decline was recorded in 2024-25, when 69,285 works were completed—23,176 under UT Sector and 46,109 under District Sector but only 30,620 works underwent physical verification, reducing the inspection rate to 44 percent. The sharp drop has raised concerns about possible backlogs, field-level manpower shortages and delays between project completion and verification.
In the ongoing 2025-26 financial year, 11,821 works have already been completed, including 7,168 under UT Sector and 4,653 under District Sector. However, no data on physical verification has been reported yet, indicating that inspections are either pending or yet to be compiled, further highlighting the need for timely monitoring.
The cumulative data shows that District Sector projects account for the bulk of developmental activity, with 1,78,003 works completed, compared to 90,511 works under the UT Sector since 2021-22. This reflects the decentralised implementation of grassroots infrastructure and welfare programmes across districts.
While the overall 77 percent verification rate indicates substantial progress in ensuring transparency and accountability, the sharp fall in inspections during 2024-25 and the absence of updated verification data for 2025-26 have triggered calls for strengthening field monitoring systems.
Sustained inspections are essential to ensure that public expenditure results in durable assets and tangible benefits for people. As developmental works continue to expand in scale and number, restoring the earlier pace of verification will be crucial to maintaining public trust and ensuring that projects completed on paper deliver real outcomes on the ground.
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