Budget, ceiling on tenders, carrying forward funds on agenda
Next year’s priorities may figure at high-level meet
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Mar 28: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has called a high-level meeting with all District Development Council (DDC) Chairpersons and other representatives of the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) from across Jammu and Kashmir for almost the entire day tomorrow to discuss host of issues faced by them including lapse of grants for current Financial Year (FY) which is due to end in next three days, Capex (Capital Expenditure) budget for next year and raising the ceiling for tendering works.
Top official sources told the Excelsior that the meeting which will be held through video conferencing will begin at 10 am and is expected to last till 3 or 4 pm as the Lieutenant Governor is scheduled to listen views of all 20 DDC Chairpersons of the Union Territory and representatives of the Panchayati Raj Institutions.
Chief Secretary Dr Arun Kumar Mehta, Additional Chief Secretary and Financial Commissioner (Finance) Atal Dulloo, Director General (DG) Institute of Management, Public Administration and Rural Development (IMPARD), Commissioner Secretary Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Mandeep Kour and other senior officers will join the meeting with Manoj Sinha.
The meeting comes when just three days are left for the current Financial Year of 2021-22 to end and four days for next Fiscal Year of 2022-23 to start.
The Lieutenant Governor could discuss Capex budget for the DDCs, Block Development Councils (BDCs) and PRIs for next financial year with the DDC chairpersons and PRI representatives during the meeting, sources said.
There were reports that 30 to 40 percent budget of some of the DDCs in the Union Territory is about to lapse due to various factors including Government condition of tendering even the minor works, COVID pandemic first in May-June 2021 and then in January February 2022 etc.
Some of the DDC Chairpersons told the Excelsior that they will take up the demand for “carry forwarding” unspent budget of current fiscal year to next financial year, raising the ceiling of executing works without tenders from Rs 10,000 to Rs 3 lakh, clearing MGNREGS liabilities of 2016-17 and 2017-18 amounting to around Rs 1000 crore, tendering of all works before July 15 to give enough time to their completion and construction of Panchayat Ghars in all Panchayats.
“There is, however, no provision for carry forward of current fiscal year’s budget to next year,” the DDC Chairpersons admitted but said the Lieutenant Governor can use his special powers to do so as expenditure in some of the DDCs is just 60 percent while in others it ranges between 60 to 70 percent.
DDC Jammu Chairperson Bharat Bushan said the expenditure in Jammu district was hardly around 50 to 55 percent and he will demand that the budget of this year be allowed to carry forward next year.
“The Lieutenant Governor’s decision to hold such a lengthy meeting with the DDC Chairpersons and PRI representatives is good. We will raise our demands and we hope positive response from Sinha,” Bushan said.
DDC Udhampur Chairman Lal Chand said the expenditure has been good and might cross 70 percent in Udhampur district. However, he demanded that works for next financial year should start at the earliest possible time to give enough time for their execution.
“Timely release of budget will help,” Lal Chand said.
Sources said that in some of the Panchayats expenditure has been quite good at around 80 to 85 percent which was a healthy sign.
However, there was general consensus among the DDC and BDC Chairpersons and representatives of the Panchayats that ceiling on tendering of works should be significantly enhanced so that small works don’t suffer.
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