Ishtiya Ahmad
Early Times Report
Srinagar, Apr 6: Despite directives by the government, hundreds of crores of funds have lapsed as the officials failed to spend the funds by the end of last fiscal.
The last fiscal 2017-2018 ended on March 31. Even though, officials were directed to spend all the released funds by March 31, sources said that they failed to spend them resulting in lapse of funds.
"The departments where most funds have lapsed are Rural Development Department, Roads and Buildings, Social Welfare Department, Health Department," an official of Finance Department said.
The official said that exact amount of lapsed funds is still unknown. "It is in hundreds of crores and will be known by the end of April once the departments submit the statements," the official said.
Crores of funds get lapsed annually in the state due to non-utilisation of funds in a scheduled time. The departmental heads were also directed for timely utilisation of funds and asked to fix the responsibility if funds were allowed to lapse.
"Directions were passed to departments to ensure timely utilisation of funds as less developmental works take place in last quarter of the year due to non-utilization of funds and many remain unutilised," the official said.
The Rural Development Department had cautioned the officials against slackness and urged them to use the funds released early.
The RDD has directed assistant commissioners development, block development officers that the works authorised taken up during 2017-2018 and for which the funds stand released are lapsable shall be utilised by March 31, 2018.
"The executing agencies are directed that all these works are both physically and financially completed in all aspects without creating any liability and spilling over the same for the next financial year as no funds shall be provided during next financial year 2018-2019 for any specified over work," a circular said, issued by the RDD to officials last week.
"Any laxity in this behalf shall be personal responsibility of the concerned implementing agency, which shall be noted forthwith for strict compliance," it reads.
Despite that departments failed to spend all the funds by March 31. It will be interesting what action is taken against officials for allowing fund lapse.
The departments have also been told that developmental works should be started with proper approval from Planning and Finance Department to know the source of funds.
"The concerned officials will be held responsible if these works get affected for want of funding," an official of the General Administration Department said.
The official said that bureaucrats have been told to make proper guidance to legislators about the source of funds for developmental works. |
