By Kartik Lokhande
Despite
repeated directives since 2011, the State Government had not made
available to the Governor’s office the region-wise figures of non-plan
developmental expenditure. It had submitted only the figures of non-plan
expenditure. He has asked the Government to comply with the directives
by July this year.
Taking serious cognisance of this non-compliance
of his directives, the Governor has now directed that the figures for
region-wise Plan expenditure and non-Plan developmental expenditure
shall be published annually within three months of the end of respective
financial year.
To ensure transparency in budgets, the Governor has
directed, these figures shall be put online and updated in real time by
using ‘appropriate interventions’. The Governor has directed Planning
Department to publish the figures of region-wise plan expenditure since
2010-11 and indicate the extent of ‘shortfalls or diversions’ between
regions. Similarly, he has sought the figures of region-wise non-Plan
development expenditure for last three years. The Governor has sought
compilation of the past years’ region-wise Plan and non-Plan
developmental expenditure figures by July.
Further, the Governor has
reiterated that all attempts need to be made to re-classify the items
of expenditure in a way to ensure that no divisible item is ‘wrongly
considered’ to be a non-divisible item. The details of this exercise
shall be completed and submitted to the Governor by July, state the
directives.
‘Meet NPV, other expenses
from VIDC funds first’
In
his directives, the Governor has provided some relief to Vidarbha
region, where costs of irrigation projects are inflated mainly because
of payment of Net Present Value (NPV) for diversion of forest land. The
Governor has directed that though the requirement of NPV and other
charges have to be met from non-divisible outlay, the same should first
be met from the funds available with Vidarbha Irrigation Development
Corporation (VIDC) as per requirement, and subsequently accounted for as
non-divisible expenditure in the next annual plan.
‘State should submit views on
Kelkar Committee report’
In
the latest directives, the Governor has sought the views of the State
Government on the Report of High Level Committee on Balanced Regional
Development Issues in Maharashtra -- popularly known as Kelkar Committee
report. The Governor has ‘expected’ the State Government to consider
the report and its recommendations including the proposed principles of
allocation, and submit its views expeditiously, for his consideration.
(Filed on March 18, 2015)
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