The state government has yet again missed its overall expenditure target as mandated by the Cash Management System (CMS) in the April-December period of 2011-12.
The CMS which was introduced in 2010-11 to lift expenditure levels and avoid rush of expenditure towards the fag end of any financial year has failed to deliver the desired result. While CMS envisages at least 60 per cent expenditure in the first three quarters of a fiscal, total spending, both Plan and Non-Plan by all departments stood at 55.25 per cent, a pointer to the state government's lethargy in achieving optimum expenditure levels.
The 38 government departments have managed to spend Rs 25,439.26 crore, as against the Total Plan and Non-Plan provision of Rs 46,047.75 crore for 2011-12. Of these, two departments- energy and information technology (IT) have fared the worst, recording spending of 16.18 per cent and 13.96 per cent respectively.
Of its mandated expenditure of Rs 525.80 crore, the energy department has been able to spend just Rs 85.10 crore. Even more lacklustre is spending by IT department which has spent merely Rs 13.96 crore out of the total provision of Rs 111.17 crore.
Other departments with spending below the level prescribed by CMS include industries (35.56 per cent), revenue (41.96 per cent), housing & urban development 42.55 per cent), food supplies & consumer welfare (43.46 per cent), water resources (46.96 per cent), general administration (50.95 per cent) and public enterprises (50.22 per cent) to name a few.
Cooperation ranks above all departments, clocking spending of 83.19 per cent till the end of December last year. Other departments with impressive expenditure are parliamentary affairs (70.59 per cent), labour & employment (73.27 per cent), women & child development (68.76 per cent) and agriculture (69.38 per cent).
It may be noted that the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) in its last report on state finance for the year ended March 2011 had noted that under four major heads, 100 per cent expenditure was incurred in the month of March alone totally out of sync with CMS meant for ensuring even distribution of expenditure throughout the year.
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As much as Rs 279.69 crore was earmarked in 2011-12 to be sent under four heads- plan to build hostels (Rs 198.37 crore), special Central assistance for special programme for KBK (Kalahandi-Bolangir-Koraput) Plan (Rs 15.13 crore), Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana-RGGVY (Rs 30.49 crore) and 13th Finance Commission's grant for incentivising issue of unique identification number cards-UID (Rs 35.70 crore).
The entire expenditure under these four heads was recorded in March 2011.