Consumer Affairs Dept spends 51% of allotment for 2013-14

Govt has asked all ministries and Depts to follow austerity measures that include cut in non-plan expenditure by 10% for 2013-14

The Consumer Affairs Department has already spent 51% of Rs 240 crore allocated for 2013-14, a top official said here today.

The Department had an internal meeting to identify areas and schemes where expenses can be brought down so as to comply with the government's recent austerity norms.

The government has asked all ministries and Departments to follow austerity measures that include cut in non-plan expenditure by 10% for 2013-14 and barred purchase of new vehicles, creation of new posts and conferences at five star hotels among others.

"We have been asked to cut 10% in our budget. We will do it across the board....This cut in expenditure will not make a dent," Consumer Affairs Secretary Pankaj Agrawal told PTI.

The Department has already spent 51% of the total Rs 240 crore budget allocated for the 2013-14 fiscal, as against just 8% in the year-ago period, he said.

In the past, the Department could not fully utilise its funds as it could not get sanctioned the budget on time. "This year, we went very fast in spending. We might surrender 10%. It would be again a voluntary thing," he said.

Agrawal said that the funds have been spent on various activities including construction of building in consumer district courts and granting funds for NGOs working in consumer related fields.

A Parliament panel had recently pulled up the Department for not fully utilising the budget allocated during the 11th Five Year Plan (2007-12).

The government's austerity measures is expected to restrict the fiscal deficit to 4.8% of the GDP in 2013-14.