@JournalistAadil
Srinagar: Showkat H Pandith, Chairman of Block Development Council (BDC), Langate in an open letter to Lieutenant Governor, Union Territory, Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha on Sunday has appealed to the latter to exempt line departments like Rural Development from limits imposed on the expenditure in the last quarter and last month of the current fiscal year.
In his letter, Showkat H Pandith writes, “As we all know Area Development Fund (ADF) has been released under District Capex, and for the first time, e-tendering procedure has been adopted for each work.
A major chunk of the District Capex comes under the domain of the Rural Development Department which has a limited capacity to take on such a huge flow of funds, as other Schemes of the Department are equally important and involve huge funds as well. e-tendering is a very cumbersome and complex process and it is also quite time consuming as well. This has been a novel experience, both for the government and for the contractors as well.
The Finance Department J&K vide Govt. Order No: 321 of 2021 dated 06.12.2021 has issued multiple directions to maintain the fiscal discipline. Among other things, it has been stated that, “during the last quarter of the Current Financial Year, the expenditure should be limited to 30% of the budget allocation and in the month of March, the expenditure should be limited to the 15% of the Budget Estimates”.
This condition is ‘of course’ very nice, but keeping in view that for the first time a different route of e-tendering has been adopted, due to which the expenditure level regarding Area Development Fund (PRI, BDC, DDC grants) is quite low.
A good chunk of work has not been tendered yet, also some part of the plan, which has not been found executable, has been replaced but not approved yet.
It is my appeal to the Government and before Hon’ble LG J&K to exempt the Line Departments especially Rural Development Department from the limits imposed on the expenditure in the last quarter and last month of the Current fiscal year and March 31st should be the date of completion of works, and up to March 31, 2022, 100% expenditure be allowed so that funds released are not lapsed and works are completed after February 15 up to March 31st, when the harsh winter will be over.
Also, we have the past experience that the works which are executed in the month of December and January result in assets, which are not durable at all, there is more wastage than asset creation due to extreme cold we are facing now.
I hope this request will not go in vain.!!!”
Showkat H Pandith
Chairman
Block Development Council (BDC), Langate
