Revalidation only on basis of AG audited figures
Implementing agencies asked to conduct audit, submit report
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, July 29: Several departments of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir are openly flouting the conditions for utilization of funds under the Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSSs) despite repeated notes of caution from the Finance Department, which has now made it clear that any in-consistency in the amount reflected as unspent at the close of the financial year shall be the responsibility of the department concerned.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that at the time of authorization of expenditure out of the funds released under any Centrally Sponsored Scheme, the Finance Department of the Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory invariably conveys certain conditions to the departments concerned.
The departments are explicitly told to ensure that the funds are utilized only after observing all the codal formalities and no funds are utilized without the Administrative Approval and the Technical Sanction.
Moreover, there are standard instructions to all the departments implementing the Centrally Sponsored Schemes that the status report regarding the physical and financial progress be intimated timely to the concerned Union Ministry by or before close of the financial year under intimation to the Finance Department of J&K UT.
However, the Finance Department has noticed blatant violation of these conditions by almost all the departments which have been given the responsibility to ensure effective implementation of the Centrally Sponsored Schemes.
“It is a matter of serious concern that departments implementing the Centrally Sponsored Schemes during the past many decades are either still not conversant with the procedure or intentionally ignoring the same for vested interests”, sources said.
“Compliance to these conditions is not adhered to in letter and spirit. Also, time and again, the line departments approach the Finance Department for revalidation of funds under various Centrally Sponsored Schemes pertaining not only to the last financial year but for several previous years without providing the requisite information”, read the latest circular issued by the Finance Department, the copy of which is available with EXCELSIOR.
The Finance Department has reiterated that all the line departments need to maintain the relevant records of the expenditure booked and unspent balance, if any, at the close of each financial year and get the same reconciled, controlling officer wise, with the office of the Accountant General J&K, firstly for each quarter and then on year to year basis to arrive at the pre-audited figure of such unspent balance against the Centrally Sponsored Scheme”, the circular said.
It has been made clear that these figures, once ratified by the office of the Accountant General, shall be deemed to be audited figures of unspent balance against any scheme. “This is very important in a given situation as Finance Department is wholly and solely relying on the figures provided by the department concerned for revalidation”, the circular said.
All the departments implementing the Centrally Sponsored Schemes have been asked to adhere to the conditions laid down in the sanction orders and also come up with the audited figures from the Accountant General’s office of the unspent balance for revalidation under the relevant Centrally Sponsored Schemes as per the laid down procedure.
“Any in-consistency in the figures/amount reflected as unspent by the department concerned at the close of the financial year, shall be the responsibility of the department concerned”, the Finance Department has further made it clear.
It has also asked all the implementing departments to conduct audit of all the funds revalidated/released under the Centrally Sponsored Schemes during the last financial year (2019-20) and submit the report to the Finance Department. “No proposal for revalidation will be entertained for consideration unless audited figures from the office of the Accountant General J&K of the unspent are provided”, the circular said.
The Finance Department has further directed the Administrative Secretaries of all the departments implementing the Centrally Sponsored Schemes to impress upon all the concerned to adhere to these instructions in letter and spirit and submit revalidation proposals to the Finance Department for unspent funds only if they fulfil the laid down criteria to avoid any delay in processing of the revalidation cases.
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