Jammu: Setting the process of preparation of J&K Budget Estimates 2024-25 in motion, Principal Secretary Finance Santosh D Vaidya Wednesday fixed the deadline for the Drawing and Disbursing Officers (DDOs) and the Head of Departments (HoDs) to complete the exercise by September 30 and October 5, 2023 respectively.
He also asked the Administrative departments to scrutinise estimates and forward their recommendations to the Finance department “not later than October 10, 2023.”
Vaidya, in circular instructions, asked all the Administrative departments, HODs, Budget Controlling Officers and DDOs to start budget preparation exercise for the year 2024-25 in the right earnest “to enable examination, compilation and consolidation of these estimates in the administrative departments for onward submission of the same to the Finance department.”
“The Administrative departments shall further carry out due scrutiny of estimates and forward their recommendations to the Finance Department not later than October 10, 2023. To achieve this target date, the budget preparation at the DDO and the HOD level shall be completed by September 30, 2023 and October 5, 2023 respectively. The budget preparation forms for both Revenue Budget and Capital Budget will be made available to all the field offices as well as the administrative departments online through ‘Budget Estimation, Allocation and Management System’ (BEAMS) only,” he instructed.
Vaidya cautioned that hard copies of forms except for project wise statements would not be entertained in the Finance department.
He stated that the technical assistance in this regard could be procured from the National Informatics Centre (NIC) and the Resource Persons available in each District Treasury.
All the Administrative Secretaries have been asked to send Budget proposals in respect of each HoD to the Finance Department by the notified date.
According to Principal Secretary Finance, the calendar for discussion of Budget proposals of the departments will be issued separately.
While referring to a detailed set of instructions for preparation of Budget proposals by the departments and a check list indicating details of information to be provided to the Finance Department for guidance, Vaidya reiterated, “The Budget proformas shall be submitted in both Hard and Soft copies in respect of Revenue and Capex. No proposal shall be accepted if it is not complete in all respects as per guidelines issued.”
“For extant instructions on the subject reference can be made to the Budget Manual,” he said.
NIC has been asked to put in place all the required arrangements for data entry in BEAMS by the DDOs and Budget Controlling Officers at the HoD level and Director Finance and Financial Advisors and Chief Accounts Officers (FA&CAOs) at the Administrative departments level.