May go to Parl if Assembly polls not held by year-end
*Deadlines set for Admn Deptts, HoDs
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 1: The Finance Department of the Jammu and Kashmir Government today set the process in motion for budget of next Financial Year 2022-23 and Revised Estimates (REs) of 2021-22 setting deadlines for the Administrative Departments and Head of Departments (HoDs) to submit their proposals.
Guidelines to this effect were issued by Additional Chief Secretary and Financial Commissioner (Finance Department) Atal Dulloo.
The Finance Department has asked all the Administrative Departments/HoDs to start budget preparation exercise for the year 2022-23 immediately to enable examination, compilation and consolidation of these estimates in the Administrative Departments for onward submission to the Finance Department.
“The Administrative Departments will carry out scrutiny of estimates and forward their recommendations to the Finance Department not later than September 30, 2021,” the order read.
It said to achieve the target, the budget preparations at the level of Drawing and Disbursing Officers and HoD shall be completed by 10th and 15th September respectively.
“The budget preparation of forms for both Revenue and Capital budget will be made available to all the Field Offices as well as the Administrative Departments online through Budget Estimation, Allocation and Management System (BEAMS) only,” the Finance Department order said.
It read that the Departments can take technical assistance from the National Informatics Centre (NIC) and the Resource Persons available in the district Treasuries.
The Finance Department has requested the Administrative Secretaries to send budget proposals in respect of each Head of Department to the Finance Department by a notified date. It added that the calendar for discussion of budget proposals of the departments will be issued separately.
“The National Informatics Centre will put in place all requisite arrangements for data entry in the BEAMS by the field formations and the Administrative Departments,” the order read.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had on March 17 presented Rs 1.08 lakh crore worth budget for financial year of 2021-22 for the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir in Parliament this year with focus on Employment, Good Governance, Socio-Economic Development, Infrastructure, Agriculture & Horticulture and Atmanirbhar Bharat. The budget was zero deficit in which economy was expected to grow at 7.5 per cent.
This was for the second successive year that annual budget of Jammu and Kashmir has been tabled in the Parliament in the absence of Legislature in the Union Territory due to delay in Assembly elections.
Last financial year’s budget of J&K was Rs 1,01,428 crore.
With Assembly elections not in sight this year, the next Financial Year’s budget (2022-23) is also expected to be introduced and passed in the Parliament.
Only when the Assembly elections are held in Jammu and Kashmir and elected House is in place that the budget of Jammu and Kashmir will be passed there. Last time, it was in January 2018 when budget of Jammu and Kashmir was passed in the Legislature of the erstwhile State by the then Finance Minister Dr Haseeb Drabu.
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