Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 9: Ahead of the scheduled meeting of DDC and BDC chairpersons with Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, All J&K Panchayat Conference (AJKPC) on Sunday urged the LG to ensure that 70 per cent funds which were exclusively earmarked for Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) under CAPEX in the current financial year should not lapse and be used for the welfare of people.
In a handout Anil Sharma, J&K president of AJKPC claimed that government had earmarked Rs. 23 lakh each for over 4,000 Panchayats in J&K while this amount was Rs. 25 lakh and Rs. 75 lakh for every BDC and DDC respectively.
“Till December 31 last year, only 18 to 22 per cent funds of CAPEX budget were utilized while the remaining money was pending with the concerned department. The non-utilization of these funds has caused a big setback to the PRIs in J&K. Prior to the year 2019 (before abrogation of Article 370, there was a provision of rollover of these funds but presently under the guidelines of Ministry of Finance, these funds lapse if not utilized during the financial year in which they are earmarked and sanctioned for,” Sharma said adding that non-utilization of these funds was an outcome of negligence of the bureaucracy which laid stress on e-tendering failed to issue tenders in time nor the tendering process was completed which caused huge loss to J&K people. He hoped that the LG would take a positive call of the issue and threatened agitation if the funds were not allocated back.
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