All deptts asked to reconcile accounts by October 30
New accounts to be created in consultation with CAG
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Sept 5: As less than two months have left for the implementation of Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act, 2019, the Government has set into motion an exercise for creation of Consolidated Fund of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir with Financial Commissioner Finance Department directing all the departments to reconcile accounts with the office of the Accountant General by October 30 to pave the way for closure of accounts of the State.
The Section 67(I) of the J&K Reorganization Act, which was passed by the Parliament early last month, states that there shall be Consolidated Fund of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir successor to the Consolidated Fund of the State of Jammu and Kashmir.
Keeping in view this provision, the Financial Commissioner Finance Department, Dr Arun Kumar Mehta has directed all the departments to reconcile their respective accounts before the appointed day—October 31, 2019 with the office of the Accountant General, Jammu and Kashmir in order to enable it to close the accounts of the State Government.
“On and from the appointed day, the accounts of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir shall be kept in such form as the Lieutenant General may, after obtaining advice of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, prescribe by Rules”, read the Government order.
The departments have been told explicitly that the reconciled accounts up to October 30, 2019 shall be furnished by each department to the Finance Department not later than November 6, 2019.
The Section 67(I) of the J&K Reorganization Act states that on and from the appointed day, all revenues received in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir by the Government of India or the Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir in relation to any matter with respect to which the Legislative Assembly of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir has power to make laws, and all grants made and all loans advanced to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir from the Consolidated Fund of India and all loans raised by the Government of India or the Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir upon the security of the Consolidated Fund of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and all moneys received by the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir in repayment of loans shall form one Consolidated Fund to be entitled “the Consolidated Fund of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir”.
No money out of such Consolidated Fund shall be appropriated except in accordance with and for the purpose and in the manner provided in the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act, 2019.
“The custody of Consolidated Fund, the payment of money into such Fund, the withdrawal of money there-from and all other matters connected with or ancillary to those matters shall be regulated by Rules to be made by the Lieutenant Governor”, read Sub-Section 3 of Section 67 of the J&K Reorganization Act.
Similarly, there shall be Public Account of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir successor to the Public Account of the State of Jammu and Kashmir as per Sub-Section 1 of Section 68 of the Act.
“On and from October 31, 2019, all other public moneys received by or on behalf of the Lieutenant Governor shall be credited into a public account entitled the Public Account of UT of J&K and the custody of public moneys received by or on behalf of Lieutenant Governor, their payment into the Public Account of UT and the withdrawal from such account and all other connected matters shall be regulated by the Lieutenant Governor on the advice of Council of Ministers”, read Sub-Section 2 of Section 68 of the Act.
Moreover, there shall be Contingency Fund of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and such a Fund shall be held by the Lieutenant Governor to enable advances to be made by him out of such Fund.
“No advances shall be made out of the Contingency Fund of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir except for the purposes of meeting unforeseen expenditure pending authorisation of such expenditure by the Legislative Assembly under appropriations made by law”, read Section 69 of the J&K Reorganization Act.
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