Govt to officials

Utilize funds in time or face action

Utilize funds in time or face action

Srinagar, Aug 14 (KNS): With the reports that some officials were not utilizing released funds in time, the government has directed heads of departments to spend all the funds of current year in time or face action.
Sources told Kashmir News Service (KNS) that government was concerned over lapsing of funds as officials were not making timely utilization of funds. The non-seriousness of the officials was resulting lapsing of funds.
“If funds are released, then the concerned officials will be responsible for any lapse,” sources quoting finance department directions said.
Over the years it has been seen that crores of funds get lapsed in the state due to non-utilization of funds in a scheduled time. Now the departmental heads have been directed for timely utilization of funds and asked to fix the responsibility if funds were allowed to lapse.
“Directions have been passed to departments to ensure timely utilization of funds,” an official of the Finance Department told KNS.
“Any laxity in this behalf shall be personal responsibility of the concerned implementing agency, which shall be noted forthwith for strict compliance,” the official quoting a circular.
The Rural Development Department has 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 authorized taken up during the current year and for which the funds stand released are lapsable shall be utilized immediately.
“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 said.
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 departments have also been directed to submit monthly progress report. Government has failed to evaluate performance of their departments on the basis of timeline completion of targets, outcomes of the schemes, priorities fixed, quality of work done, and status of benefits of projects.
This is because departments are not submitting their performance report to the government. “Most of the officials are hiding the performance details about their departments,” the official added. (KNS)
 

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