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| J&K’s annual plan 2011-12 still awaits PC nod | | Exercise for budget 2012-13 to begin within next 3 months | | Syed Junaid Hashmi
EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, May 31: Jammu and Kashmir’s annual plan for the year 2011-12 which was passed by state legislative assembly in March this year is yet to be finalized by the planning commission.
Reports maintain that the Rs. 6600 crore plan is likely to get nod of the planning commission by mid of June after the meeting of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah with Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission of India Montek Singh Ahluwalia. These further indicate that funds would be released immediately after the plan approval.
However, delay has already cast serious doubts over the ability of Jammu and Kashmir to spend funds which would be allocated after the plan approval. The reason: Exercise for the formulation of annual financial statement for the year 2012-13 is likely to begin by mid of September 211 and if the planning commission schedule is taken into consideration, official level discussions for the assessment of resources for the Annual Plan of 2012-13 have to be completed by November, 2010.
Further, official level resource discussions are likely to be held in November 2011 and state would have to complete the exercise of preparing the plan proposals by the end of November 2011. Thereafter, working group discussion, as per the annual schedule of Planning Commission would be held in January 2012. Chief Minister would be meeting the Chairman of planning commission by the end of February 2012.
If the above schedule is taken into account, all departments in J&K would have to indulge in rat race for adhering to the schedule and saving the funds for year 2011-12 from getting lapsed. What to talk of developmental works, officers at all levels alongwith planning heads are likely to find it tough to utilize funds on one hand and prepare annual financial statements on the other.
Sources disclosed that state government was not expecting such a long delay from the planning commission. A top official said “The delay is too long. We were not expecting such a delay. This would now put additional burden on the officers working on ground to implement government programmes and policies. We have to utilize funds as well as prepare plans for the year 2012-13.”
Though he said that works are going on and once the funds arrive, payments would be cleared and utilization speeded up. He stressed that government would go into triple shift mood to make up for the time lost in getting plan approved and funds released. However, it needs to be made clear that Monsoon is likely to arrive in J&K by first week of July and thereafter, winter season would follow.
The working season from March to June has expired and the funds are yet to be released by the Planning Commission. From July onwards, unpredictable seasonal variations are likely to delay developmental works which would result in treasuries again facing pressure situation in the last month of the financial year 2011-12.
It needs to be mentioned here that annual plan of J&K is always assented to by the planning commission after the plans of almost all other states are finalized. Sources attribute this delay to late disbursement of funds and delay in submission of utilization certificates which results in planning commission preferring to take up J&K in its last leg.
It needs to mentioned here that working group discussions over Rs. 6600 crore plan proposals of Jammu and Kashmir were held on May 20, 21 in the Union Capital. After the working group meeting, Chief Secretary Madhav Lal held a wrap up meeting with B.K.Chaturvedi, member of Planning Commission and incharge Jammu and Kashmir.
Planning Commission has agreed in principal for 10 per cent step up in the previous year’s annual plan allocation and only formal announcement is to be made after May 29 meeting. PC has also assured extension of Prime Minister’s Re-construction Plan (PMRP) for next financial year. Jammu and Kashmir government has already presented its annual budget before the state legislature and even passed it in the month of March by incorporating tentative figures after assurances from Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and planning commission that this year the state would roughly be entitled to Rs 6600 crore annual plan allocation.
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