Jharkhand lags behind in spending budget funds

Only 20 days are left in the end of 2012-13 financial year, but the state which is under President's rule since January 18 could not even spend over 25 per cent of its annual budget of Rs 37,113 crore. The state Governor Sayed Ahmed on Monday held a meeting with his advisers and departmental secretaries and directed them to utilise maximum funds from the budget allocation within the remaining days of the current financial year.

Sources in the state finance department said that Jharkhand had been in the midst of political uncertainty during last 3 months over the existence of the NDA ruled government in the state. Releases of funds from the sanctioned budget could not be done as the ministers in-charges of respective departments did not go through the pending files during the political turmoil in the state over possible changes in the government Besides, most of the departments did not have required strength of employees and each IAS secretary had been given charges with a number of departments.

However, with this constraint it would no be possible to spend over 25 per cent of the annual budget, they said.

Sources said some of the departments were attempting to utilise even 20 per cent of the budget allocation. The state energy department, implementing rural electrification scheme had been able to spend a little over Rs 200 crore out of plan outlay of Rs 1,178 crore water resources project meant for irrigation to farmers is also lagging behind. Out of allocation of Rs 1,950 crore, only around Rs 419 crore has been utilised.