80 % Capex Budget funds authorised to Deptts

Jammu, Aug 16: J&K Finance department has sanctioned the authorisation of 80 percent capex budget, including the district capex out of approved Budget Estimates (BE) 2024-25 (regular budget) for the current financial year 2024-25, in favour of all the departments and District Development Commissioners (DDCs).

However, 100 percent funds have been authorised under individual work activities, relating to land compensation, forest compensation and utility shifting under the capex budget 2024-25.

The utilization of funds so authorised, however, will be subject to specified terms and conditions, including persisting ban on the engagement of casual workers, need based workers.

“The ban shall continue to be in force. All development and capex release orders issued by the administrative departments to the respective controlling officers shall invariably have the condition that the departments shall refrain from making fresh engagements under projects or schemes,” Principal Secretary Finance Santosh D Vaidya has stipulated.

“The release of these funds through Budget Estimation, Allocation and Monitoring System (BEAMS) as well as expenditure thereof shall be subject to the uploading of works and activities on BEAMS portal as per the work plans duly approved by the competent authority for the current financial year 2024-25,” Vaidya has stated.

The Administrative departments have been asked to thoroughly examine the list of the existing works already uploaded on BEAMS and streamline the same by eliminating non-priority and non-starter works or activities.

While reiterating the instructions for departments and DDCs vis-a-vis uploading of approved work plans on BEAMS portal, it has been instructed that the planning process at department level and district level should integrate to incorporate whole of the society or whole of government approach

It has been delineated that the focus of the departments and DDCs must be on completion of ongoing and new works rather than starting large numbers of underfunded works or spreading of resources thinly over the number of years.

Stipulations mention that the timeline for completion of new works or activities taken up for execution during the financial year 2024-25, should be between one to two years. In rare cases of mega-projects, the department may extend the timeline up to three years.

“The new works or activities will be uploaded only if the budget outlay in 2024-25 for such activity is at least 40 percent of the approved cost of the project. All the spill-over and ongoing works which are expected to be completed during the year 2024-25 or at the most in succeeding year shall be the first charge on capex budget 2024-25. The departments and DDCs shall ensure that no ongoing work is left out,” Vaidya has instructed.

“All the directions given by Administrative Council and the Lieutenant Governor, the recommendations of the three conferences of the Chief Secretaries, the consultations with local government institutions and the feedback received by departments under B2V programmes, public Darbar, public grievances meetings, etc should be reviewed while framing the annual plans and shall form part of budget outlays for 2024-25,” conditions specify.

As per stipulations, the main focus of the departments and DDCs must be on outcomes in terms of benefit to the public and all departments will prepare their annual plans delineating clear outcomes. The capital outlay will not be utilized for the revenue nature of expenditure.

In terms of Rule-136(1) of GFR, no works will be started or liability incurred in connection with it until administrative approval has been obtained from the appropriate authority in each case and a sanction to incur expenditure has been obtained from the competent authority, besides fulfilling other specifications. Each work should be 100 percent physically verified and third party test inspections will be conducted in respect of high value works.

The departments and DDCs have also been asked to ensure that the exercise of tendering is carried out in a time bound manner and all the tendering processes must be concluded by or before September 30, 2024. The progress in this regard will be reviewed by the Finance Department periodically.

The Controlling Officers will have to immediately release the funds to the line departments within a period of one week from the date of authorization of funds by the Finance department. The BEAMS Administrator at the Administrative department level will report compliance to the Finance department on a monthly basis.

The departments have been instructed to make the expenditure strictly in accordance with GFR 2017 and Manual for Procurement of Works, 2022. All the procurement of Goods and Services will be made through GeM portal in terms of relevant provisions of GFR 2017, Manual for Procurement of Goods, 2022 and Manual for Procurement of Consultancy and other Services, 2022.

“No diversion shall be made under any pretext unless expressly authorized by the Finance department,” Vaidya has cautioned.

As per stipulations, all the government transactions will be made through electronic mode without involving any cash transactions in the government offices or other offices which are directly or indirectly controlled by the government, excepting for few very small denominations. The departments will have to ensure uniform pace of expenditure during the financial year 2024-25.

The overall ceiling of 30 percent expenditure will be maintained during the last quarter of the financial year 2024-25. The expenditure during the last month of the financial year 2024-25 will be restricted to 15 percent of the budget allocation.

The department will re-align their work plans for accommodating the need for re-allocation felt, if any, during the current financial year 202425.

“Under no circumstances re-allocation proposals shall be considered in the Finance Department during the last quarter of 2024-25 except in extremely exceptional cases,” it has been warned.

Funds provided under all the beneficiary schemes will be disbursed through DBT mode with 100 percent Aadhaar seeding (both beneficiary and account) which will be reviewed by each Administrative Secretary on monthly basis and beneficiary-wise report will be uploaded on DBT portal on regular basis.

Authorisation of funds has been made in supersession of Government Order No 155-F of 2024 dated March 30, 2024.