STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: The State Government has asked various departments to submit utilisation certificates in view of poor utilisation of funds in various centrally sponsored schemes.
These schemes have come under the scanner as the government has directed departmental heads to submit utilisation certificates to the concerned ministry to ensure effective implementation of these schemes.
In Jammu and Kashmir, most of the centrally sponsored schemes have been hit due to non-utilisation of funds by various departments. However, government has taken a serious note over “lackadaisical” approach of the authorities of various departments in implementing the schemes.
According to a circular issued by the government, it has been observed that various administrative departments do not fully utilise the funds authorised under different centrally sponsored schemes during the currency of a particular financial year and often seek “revalidation of the funds even upto the fag end of the next financial year”.
“All the administrative departments shall provide the details of allocation under different centrally sponsored schemes to the Finance department. They shall also share with the Finance department the pending proposals/claims with concerned Union ministry, if any, during the currency of the current financial year to facilitate follow up action, if required, by the Finance Department,” the circular issued to various departments says, according to a Srinagar based news agency.
It says that all the departments implementing projects through loans from NABARD, REC, and LIC shall provide the expenditure details against releases of funds such as mobilisation advance, advance positioning or other releases so as to arrive at correct figure of outstanding UCs at the close of last financial year.
Further the departments implementing the centrally sponsored schemes have been told to evolve a system with point person responsible to submit the utilisation certificates (UCs) to the concerned Union ministry within the stipulated time.
The government has also taken a strong note that many developmental works have got affected over the years for non-utilisation of funds. “It had been seen most of the departments were failing to spend budget allocation funds in the first quarter of the year and then they were also not able to utilise these funds in the last quarter of the year due to weather conditions and other reasons.
