Govt departments surrender Rs 6,423 cr in 2010-11

The performance of government departments in timely and optimum expenditure of budgetary allocations continues to be woeful with the departments surrendering Rs 6,423.14 crore in 2010-11.

Even the Cash Management System introduced by the government in 20010-11 to ensure timely expenditure of funds has failed to yield desired result. The system mandates at least 60 per cent expenditure in the April-December period of any fiscal, capping the spending at 40 per cent in the last quarter (January-March period).

The chief culprit on this front is the finance department. The department’s failure to meet the plan outlay targets is reflected in the spending of only Rs 9,400.66 crore during the year out of the budgetary allocation of Rs 11,448.59 crore. It has surrendered the residual Rs 2,047.93 crore.

Similarly, department of school & mass education has managed to record expenditure of Rs 4,515.17 crore of the total budgetary allocation of Rs 5,662.73 crore, surrendering Rs 1147.56 crore.

The notable exceptions are departments of agriculture and public enterprises. While agriculture department clocked Rs 1,168.02 crore expenditure, Rs 52.18 crore more than the allocated amount of Rs 1,115.84 crore, public enterprises department has spent the entire Rs 7.24 crore allocated to it in 2010-11.

Departments which have surrendered substantial funds in 2010-11 include home (Rs 147.26 crore), revenue (Rs 702.51 crore), works (Rs 203.48 crore), SC & ST Development (Rs 101.24 crore), health & family welfare (Rs 341.10 crore), housing & urban development (Rs 113.34 crore), planning & coordination (Rs 118.95 crore), industries (Rs 194 crore), water resources (Rs 593.11 crore) and women & child development (Rs 369.08 crore).

Of the total Budgetary provision of Rs 42,803.29 crore, the 38 government departments had spent Rs 36,380.15 crore in 2010-11, revealed a written statement made by finance minister Prafulla Chandra Ghadai in the state assembly.

In 2009-10, the expenditure recorded was Rs 30,799.57 crore as against the Budgetary provision of Rs 37,801.03 crore with the departments surrendering the balance Rs 7001.46 crore. For 2011-12, the Plan and Non-Plan spending by government departments stood at Rs 28,916.20 crore by the end of January of the total Budgetary provision of Rs 46,047.75 crore. The state's overall expenditure is, however, expected to overshoot the projected 11th Plan size of Rs 32,225 crore.