Capital expenditure increases to Rs 22400 cr
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 2: The J&K Finance Department today issued a clarification with regard to the non-payments of the bills against the works executed by some contractors, due to lack of some codal formalities.
Director Accounts and Treasuries, Mahesh Dass said that the JKUT Government has constantly endeavored to expand capital investments for rapid infrastructure up-gradation in the Jammu and Kashmir. During this financial year ending March 2024, capital expenditure has been stepped up in several key sectors like, road connectivity, power development, tourism, industry, education, health and medical education, water supply etc.
The increased tax revenue, constrained revenue expenditure and the enhanced Central support have enabled higher capital expenditure. As per the provisional data, the capital expenditure has increased from Rs 14,666 crore in financial year 2022-23 to Rs 22,400 in 2023-24.
The DG A&T further said that during this financial year, all the departments of the JKUT Government have improved utilization of funds under Centrally Sponsored Schemes. This has ensured much larger receipts of CSS funds, which have crossed Rs 10300 core in 2023-24 as compared to Rs 6386 crore and Rs 5997 crore during the financial year 2022-23 and 2021-22, respectively. The improved execution of CSS and follow up with the Central Ministries has ensured a healthy account balance of over Rs 3600 crore in various state nodal accounts of such CSS.
Dass added that to ensure structured pace of capital expenditure, the UT Government had ensured expenditure norms on incurring expenditure in final quarter and the last month of the financial year. It has come to the notice that in the rush of investments in the final days, some liabilities of capital works, stores, maintenance etc may have remained undischarged due to such expenditure norms for prudent financial management.
The DG A&T further stated that the contracting and supplying agencies who have contributed to the infrastructure development and utility services should not face difficulties in processing their valid dues in the financial year 2024-25. The UT Govt is committed to ensure that all the duly incurred liabilities of the Government are discharged in time bound manner. “Hence it is clarified that as per Rule 57 (2), of GFR-2017, a grant or appropriation can be utilized to cover the charges ( including liabilities, if any, of the past year) which are to be paid during the financial year of the grant and adjusted in the account of the year,” Dass added.
He said to expedite the processing of such liabilities in seamless manner, fresh bills in lieu of unpaid bills shall be prepared by the concerned DDOs in PaySys and submitted to the concerned Treasury. The reference number of the unpaid bills shall be referred in the fresh bills prepared by the DDOs. Such bills (Both Copex/ Revenue) shall, after fulfillment of necessary codal formalities/ requirements by the DDOs, be entertained by the concerned Treasury officers for payment by debit to the Budget allocations of the current financial year provided– that the bills were within the allocated budget of the concerned DDO for 2023-24 and were not paid during that fiscal due to the expenditure norms for the final quarter and final month; that the works formed part of the approved action plan/ works programmes of the departments/ offices for 2023-24; that all the codal formalities as per the GFRs ( Technical sanction, Administrative approval, due process for allotment etc) have been fulfilled before incurring the expenditure.
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