*Rs 80 cr under NCDC Prog still pending
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Dec 13: After being exposed for sitting over the funds sanctioned by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare under National Health Mission, Finance Department of the State Government has finally released full first installment of Rs 113 crore to the State Health Society. Due to this release albeit belated, all the activities under this flagship programme of the Union Government have resumed and the Union Government has released second installment to the tune of Rs 150 crore.
However, the Department has yet not released Rs 80 crore released by the Union Ministry under Non-Communicable Diseases Control Programme despite the fact that funds were transferred to the Finance Department more than two months back.
Highly placed sources told EXCELSIOR that full first installment of Rs 113 crore sanctioned by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare under National Health Mission has been transferred to the State Health Society thereby enabling it to start all the activities under Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram (JSSK), Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) and Rashtriya Bal Swastha Karyakaram (RBSK), which had virtually come to standstill for want of funds during several months of the current financial year.
Out of Rs 113 crore, only Rs 28 crore had earlier been released and remaining funds have now been transferred to the accounts of the State Health Society, which has a supervisory role over District Health Societies in implementing various components of National Health Mission (previously called National Rural Health Mission). With this development, salary of all the employees engaged under this Centrally sponsored programme has been released and incentives have been paid to ASHA workers.
It is pertinent to mention here that EXCELSIOR in its edition dated November 17 had exclusively highlighted the inordinate delay in release of funds by the Finance Department despite transfer of the same to Jammu and Kashmir through treasury route on July 22, 2014.
Keeping in view the transfer of funds to State Health Society, which is directly monitored by the concerned authorities in the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Centre has released second installment of Rs 150 crore. “Now it is to be seen as to when the Finance Department further transfers the second installment for utilization on ground”, sources said.
They disclosed that third and final installment of Rs 200 crore would be released by the Union Ministry only after State agrees to release its share of Rs 50 crore to the State Health Society, which is a stipulation in the provisions of this Centrally sponsored scheme.
Though the Finance Department has finally released the full first installment albeit with much delay, it has yet not taken any decision on transfer of Rs 80 crore sanctioned by the Union Ministry under Non-Communicable Diseases Control Programme, sources said while disclosing that funds under this programme were placed at the disposal of J&K Government more than two months back.
“Due to delay in release of Rs 80 crore, not only activities under NCDC Programme have suffered even the staff engaged for implementation of the programme is crying for salary, which is a grave injustice”, sources said while hoping that Principal Secretary Finance would intervene in this regard and get not only this but second installment under NHM released to the concerned authorities for utilization for the betterment of the people.
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