Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has partly delegated financial powers to the Forest Department officials.
“In exercise of powers conferred by section 67 of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act, 2019, the Lt Governor hereby delegate his financial power to accord administrative approval, technical sanctions, award of contracts, sanction for sale of Minor Forest Produce and Crude resin, sanction of rewards and power of issue of raw drugs/minor forest produce in favour of the officers in Forest Department,” reads a notification issued by the Finance Department, Civil Secretary, Financial Commissioner, DrArun Kumar Mehta.
In this notification, the power to accord administrative approval uptoRs 10 lakh has been delegated to the Conservator of Forests and DFOs and they should ensure, “the amount technically sanctioned does not exceed the amount administratively approved by the authority.”
The Principal Chief Conservator of Forest will exercise full powers to accord technical approval, whereas the Chief Conservator of Forest, the Conservator of Forest and Divisional Forest Officers have been authorized to accord technical approval uptoRs 1 crore, Rs 40 lakhs and 3 lakhs respectively.
To grant contracts, the LG’s financial powers have been delegated to Principal Chief Conservator of Forests uptoRs 20 crores, Chief Conservators of Forests up to 7 crores, conservator of Forests upt to 1.5 crore and DFO upto 10 lakhs.
With regard to the powers to sanction sale of resin has been delegated to the Forest Department, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, Chief Conservator of Forest, Conservator of Forest and DFO.
While explaining the financial power, the circulars states that the Forest Department, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest will have financial powers upto Rs 50 lakhs, Chief Conservator of Forest will have financial powers upto Rs 30 lakhs, Conservator of Forest will have powers upto Rs 10 lakhs, and DFO will have financial powers upto Rs 1 lakhs. In sanction sale of minor forest produce, here too, the Forest Department will full financial powers, whereas the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests have been accorded sanction upto Rs 50 lakhs, Chief Conservator of Forest will have powers upto Rs 30 lakhs, Conservator Forest will have financial powers upto Rs 10 lakhs and DFO will have powers upto Rs 1 lakhs.
Similarly, the financial power to sanction rewards, the financial powers has been delegated to Principal Chief Conservator of Forests upto Rs 5000 in each case.
For issuance of raw drugs and minor forest products to any individual or institute of repute for research, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests will have full financial powers and it will be subject to the result of experiment or research supplied to him.