Only 40% funds utilised under PMDP so far

Nearly four years after Prime Minister NarendraModi announced the much-hyped Rs 82,452 crore package, J&K has so far utilised only over 40 percent funds of the approved amount.

The tardy utilisation, according to sources, is mostly dueto “failure” of authorities at the helm of affairs to execute projects on timeand “delay in submitting the utilization certificates of work done to thecentral government.”

   

“The Governor has viewed the tardy pace of work on the PMDPwith concern. He has asked his Advisor KK Sharma to take up the matter withAdministrative Secretaries and DCs,” said a senior government official.

“Following the Governor’s direction, Advisor Sharma held ameeting of all heads of the departments in which he expressed concern oursluggish pace on PMDP,” he said.

“The dismal performance under PMDP was also viewed seriouslyand departments were advised to identify and remove bottlenecks so that worksunder PMDP are executed timely which have been budgeted for the currentfinancial year,” reads the note on the minutes of meeting chaired by AdvisorSharma along with Chief Secretary, Finance Secretary and administrative heads .

“Chief Secretary directed Deputy Commissioners to identifycauses of delay in the works in consultation with all the departments andresolve micro level problems. In case of ongoing works, he stressed thatproblems due to past legacies need to be addressed. New Works need to becompleted timely and adherence to all the pre-requisite formalities needs to beensured.

“Departments were further advised to furnish timely UCs toGovernment of India for leveraging more funds under CSS,” it adds.

On 7 November 2015, the PM had announced aRs 80,000 crorepackage during a rally here which was also addressed by the then CM late MuftiMohammad Sayeed.

The amount was later revised to Rs 82,452 crore.

In his speech, the PM had assured that the funds would notbe a constraint “in building a modern, progressive and prosperous Jammu andKashmir”.

This package was announced after the Kashmir witnessed worstever urban floods in 2014, which as per government estimates caused loss ofover Rs 1 lakh crore in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

It is pertinent to mention that Parliamentary StandingCommittee on Home Affairs, headed by senior Congress leader P Chidambaram, in areport tabled in the RajyaSabha, had stated progress on implementing the PrimeMinister’s Development Package had been slow and a “poor outcome” hadbeen achieved in the past 12 months.

“Observing this pattern of poor outcome, the committeehad recommended that the Ministry of Home Affairs should intensify its effortsto achieve measurable outcome under the PM’s Development Package by speeding upthe work in the upcoming fiscal and implement all the projects at theearliest,” the panel said in its report.

“The Committee recommends that the Ministry of HomeAffairs, in tandem with the state government of Jammu and Kashmir should ensuretimely implementation of undertaken projects the PM’s Development Package forthe J-K,” the report reads.

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