Plan, Non-Plan spending at 34% in April-Sept

Out of the total Plan and Non-Plan provision of Rs 61,136.16 cr for the fiscal, the spending is Rs 20,672.89 cr till Sept-end

Odisha's record of spending Plan and Non-Plan funds continues to be below par with the government departments able to log expenditure of only 33.81 per cent in the April-September period of 2013-14.

Out of the total Plan and Non-Plan provision of Rs 61,136.16 crore for the fiscal, the spending is Rs 20,672.89 crore till September-end.

The departments that have struggled to spend funds are revenue (16.23 per cent), food supplies & consumer welfare (23.73 per cent), labour & employment (29.75 per cent), sports & youth affairs (10.22 per cent), planning & coordination (27.29 per cent), industries (19 per cent), transport (9.47 per cent), science & technology (16.77 per cent), cooperation (14.51 per cent) and information technology (7.18 per cent).

With the departments struggling to spend Plan and Non-Plan outlays, the target of at least 60 per cent expenditure by the end of December set by the Cash Management System (CMS) seems challenging. The system was introduced to check rush of expenditure towards the end of any fiscal.

While the administrative departments are free to enhance spending in the first three quarters, they are required to cap the expenditure at 40 per cent in the last quarter and 15 per cent in the last month (March) as per CMS.

In case of externally aided projects in the pipeline, expenditure needs to be incurred only if agreement with the donor agency has been signed and the date of effect of the agreement has been notified.

The Integrated Odisha Treasury Management System has been so enabled that it will not admit expenditure in excess of 40 per cent of Budget provision during the last quarter and 15 per cent in the month of March under any demand for grant under CMS.