In a rather rare administrative action, the Principal Secretary, Planning and Development Department has sharply reacted to the inability of some of the Development Commissioners of Jammu region for failing to submit the details of Special Plan Assistance (SPA) on given format within the extra time given to them that ended on November 5. Actually the DDCs were required to submit the information by 24 October this year. But finding that most of them had not adhered to the dateline, the Principal Secretary had given them another ten days to come up with the detailed documents. But notwithstanding the extra time given, about seven Development Commissioners failed to upload the information. Some of the responses to a query from the office of Principal Secretary were simply funny. For example one DDC said he had already emailed the document but the Principal Secretary’s office had not received it till last moment. Obviously the Deputy Development Commissioner’s officials had not cared to know the right email ID of the recipient. In another case the DDC requested for one hour’s extension. The Secretary was surprised and said that if he could not submit the documents till 24th of October how come he would he would do it in one hour?
It has to be reminded that the information and documents asked for under Special Plan Assistance pertain to Projection Head amounting to Rs. 2064 crore and is one of the main component sofa the Plan resources for the Annual Plan 2013-14. The State Government was required to submit Action Plan under web-based programme CAS-MTS to the Union Planning Commission. Only after the Commission received the Action Plan would it take up the matter of release of funds. The Action Plan is of immense importance and is directed to the providing assistance for building and upgrading of infrastructure like bridges, roads, water supply schemes and buildings. Our State already has infrastructure deficit and with its own resources, it cannot build viable one. As such central assistance is a windfall. But alas, our administrative structure is so much complicated and convoluted that it lacks vision of the end result of these special projects. After all, money given in assistance is not alms that can be poured into the scrip of the State exchequer. There is a system and the State have to go along the system.
The Principal Secretary who is responsible for reacting to the instructions and requirements of the Union Planning Commission, has done the right thing of telling the District Development Commissioners sternly that failure of submitting the duly completed format is looked at with displeasure. If the allocated funds lapse or are not utilized, obviously the District Development Commissioners are answerable. Ultimately they are to formulate the requirements for their respective districts. They will be doing great disservice to the people of the State if they willy-nilly become the instruments of depriving the State of the huge assistance fund that was likely to accrue to the State under Special Plan Assistance.
It is rather preposterous that the Action Plan sent in by the four District Development Commissioners of Jammu region is found faulty and they are asked to reconstruct these. Why even after taking extended time should an important document be faulty at the base level meaning the level of DDC? An overall assessment shows that the DDCs have either taken the issue lightly and left it entirely to the juniors who have been handling it casually, or that there is lack of cohesion among various agencies that are required to work in cooperation to compile the action plan. Whatever is the case, making inordinate delay in the submission of the plan is a reflection on the functioning of the district offices from which either the Action Plan has not been received so far by the Principal Secretary or only defective plans have come in. In either case the onus comes to the doorsteps of DDCs.
We hope that the earnestness which the Principal Secretary has expressed in submitting the combined Action Plan to the Union Planning Commission will be taken by the District Development Commissioners seriously not only in this particular case but in running the district administration as a whole. We need to change old habits and learn to be fast in this age of speed and suspense.
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