Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Apr 30: The State Government has released 25 per cent budget in favour of all Government Departments and districts to help them carry out the development works, meet other expenditure and release salary and pensions in favour of the Government employees.
Official sources told the Excelsior that the State Government has authorized its all Departments and District Development Commissioners to go ahead with development works and other necessary expenditures for current financial year of 2015-16 without waiting for the formal meetings for release of their budget, which was likely to take some more time.
“We have authorized 25 per cent expenditure of total annual grants in favour of the Government Departments and the DDCs. This has been done to ensure that the routine development works didn’t suffer and salaries and pensions of the Government employees in addition to their other dues are released well in time,” sources said.
They added that the anticipated Central grants and funds in current financial year of 2015-16 have been made basis for 25 per cent authorization of funds to the Government Departments and the District Development Commissioners.
“Release of 25 per cent funds are enough for three to four month expenditure of the Government Departments and the DDCs,” they said, adding the funds would be released from Own Tax Revenue of the State and other resources including the Central funds.
Sources said some of the Central funds start pouring in from begining of the financial year while majority of funds are released only after the Union budget is passed. In due course of time, the State would enhance authorization to all Government Departments and the DDCs to 50 per cent.
Sources said the State Government would be seeking Rs 26,299 crores worth grants from the Central Government for current financial year of 2015-16 including Rs 19,698 crores entitled grants and Rs 6601 Other Grants. It would ask for Rs 6000 crores under Centrally Sponsored Schemes this fiscal year as against Rs 4000 crores projected in the last financial year of 2014-15.
According to projections of the Finance and Planning and Development Departments, Jammu and Kashmir would be seeking Rs 6000 crores under the Centrally Sponsored Schemes, which was Rs 2000 crores more than the previous financial year of 2014-15. It, however, would be asking for Rs 600 crores only under the Prime Minister’s Re-construction Plan (PMRP), which was equal to what the State Government had sought in the previous financial year but got only Rs 45 crores.
Sources said the negligible grants under the PMRP last year were attributed to certain changes the Government of India might bring in the PMRP.
Under Entitled Grants, the State Government has sought Rs 8088 crores as Share of Central Taxes and Rs 9892 crores as Revenue Deficit Grants. Under SDRF/NDRF, the State would seek Rs 229 crores.
Under Security Related Expenditure (SRE), which the Union Home Ministry reimburses to the State, the Government has projected grant of Rs 794 crores. Under the SRE, certain expenditures incurred by the State Government are reimbursed by the MHA.
The State could get Rs 196 crores as Cost Sharing Schemes.
It could get Rs 499 crores as Finance Commission grants for Panchayati Raj Institutions and Urban Local Bodies in the current financial year. The bifurcation of grants has been projected as Rs 374 crores for Panchayati Raj Institutions and Rs 125 crores for the Urban Local Bodies, which were yet to be elected as they had ceased to exist in March 2010 in the absence of elections.
During 2014-15, the State had projected Rs 7300 crores worth Annual Plan, Rs 4000 crores Centrally Sponsored Schemes and Rs 600 crores PMRP totaling Rs 11,900 crores apart from Share of Central Taxes, SDRF/NDRF amount, SRE and grants extended to the State under various other heads, sources said.
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