Inaugurating a workshop organised by the National Bank for Agricultural and Rural Development (Nabard), Kerala's finance minister TM Thomas Isaac said, "most of the projects sanctioned so far have gone into cost and time overrun due to poor implementation, which is evident from the substantial gap between sanctions and disbursements. A new approach has been put in place by the government for availing maximum assistance under the rural infrastructure development fund (RIDF)."
Under this, a definite time frame has been fixed for submission of projects by implementing departments to their administrative departments and thereafter to the finance department.
"The projects must be prepared with cost estimates based on latest Schedule of Rates and submitted together with in-principle approval, technical sanction and check list."
Isaac added the government had also, for the first time announced in the beginning of the year, the sectoral ceiling for departments to submit projects for sanction under RIDF XIV. The ceiling has also been hiked to a record Rs 1,000 crore for 2008-09.
"If any department is not able to submit projects within the specified time frame of August 30, the allocation will be transferred to those departments, which are performing better and hence can avail the funds to the maximum," he said.