Government instructs to ensure effective utilisation of funds

As par the cabinet decision made on February 24 the principal secretary (planning) Vineet Joshi has circulated office memorandum to all the additional chief secretaries, principal secretaries, commissioners, secretaries and heads of departments on Wednesday.

In a press statement released today by the Directorate of Information and Public Relations said the memorandum instructs all departments to prepare work programmes well in advance, so as to enable all the stake holders/departments accountable for the proper utilisation of fund initially during the first four months of financial year 2017-18.

The memorandum also instructed all the departments that for proper and timely utilisation of funds under plan/capital heads during 2017-18 on the lines indicated above, finalisation of works programmes concerning the department should be completed on priority basis by all the Administrative Departments before incurring any expenditure. This had been considered necessary for achieving the projected targets in term of both financial and physical for 2017-18.

For release of funds during the year, all departments are to ensure to finalise work programme initially for first four months well in time and move Finance Department for release of fund. Finance Department is to frame proper guidelines for release of fund in instalment basis as is done in the case of Govt. of India and to claim subsequent release of fund only after submitting the Utilization Certificates and progress report backed by photographs showing the progress of work through geo-tagging in the website of Planning Department in respect of Centrally Sponsored Schemes and State Plan. A mechanism is being worked out in consultation with IT Department to facilitate the departments to upload the required information in the website of Planning Department.

The photographs to be uploaded on the website will, inter-alia, show status, before start of the work, during the currency of the work with four or five photos and final work. The photographs should be such that they are able to clearly convey the work scope and its progress, it added

The Principal Secretary has also advised to complete the exercise of preparation of Work Programme for the first four months of 2017-18 and plan to incur expenditure as per approved work programme.