JK govt failed to surrender Rs 5,831 cr budgetary savings: CAG

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India has said that Jammu and Kashmir government has violated the state budget manual as it failed to surrender Rs 5,831 crore of budgetary savings at the end of financial year, thus "depriving other needy sectors of funds".
"At the close of the year 2012-13, there were 27 grants and three appropriations (state budget) in which saving (Rs 5,831.27 crore) occurred but no part of which had been surrendered by the concerned government departments", GAG report for year ending March 31, 2013, said.
The report, which was tabled in the J&K Legislature recently, said, "saving in these cases includes Rs 5,829.35 crore in 42 cases (involving 27 budget grants and two appropriations), where saving involved were Rs one crore and above."

"The non-surrender of the funds deprived the government of the opportunity to transfer these funds to other needy sectors," it said.
As per the state budget manual, the spending departments are required to surrender grants, appropriations or saving portion there of to the Finance Department as and when the savings are anticipated.
Of these, excess expenditure by more than 17 per cent has been observed consistently for the last five years in respect of one appropriation, it added.

Against the total saving of Rs 5,831.27 crore, Rs 4,741.57 crore occurred in cases relating to grants and appropriations during 2012-13, CAG report said.

Giving further breakup, the CAG report said that Planning and Development department has saved and failed to surrender Rs 2569.67 crore followed by Rs 615.57 crore by Education department, Rs 480.19 crore by Finance department, Rs 243.61 crore by Housing and Urban Development department, Rs 207.61 crore and Rs 189.62 crore by Rural development among others.
According to Jammu and Kashmir Financial Code, rush of expenditure in the closing month of the financial year should be avoided and strictly monitored, it said.
The CAG strongly recommended preparation of realistic budget estimates to avoid large savings and excesses. It also called for surrendering of savings by stipulated date for their effective utilisation by needy departments.