Disturbing trend in Supp Budget for 10 years

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Disturbing trend in Supp Budget for 10 years

Wednesday, 25 November 2020 | TATHYA | BHUBANESWAR

While the State Government is making more provisions for Supplementary Demand to accelerate the development process, a lion’s share of these funds are surrendered without any utilisation at the end of the financial year, admit official sources.

A cursory look at the trend emerging from allocation of funds under Supplementary Budget and the lot surrendered at the end of the fiscal by different departments of the Government is bound to disturb policy and financial planners. The policy makers in the State are a worried lot as when they are making huge allotment of funds for developmental programme, more amounts of funds of the Supplementary Budget provisions are just surrendered.This is an ever growing trend and it no doubt defeats the very purpose of the State Government, acknowledge insiders in the State administration familiar with the process.

Over the years, this trend is marked by the financial advisors of various departments, which keep surrendering the funds by end of the fiscal.

After Finance Minister Niranjan Pujari presented the Supplementary Budget in the State Legislative Assembly on November 20, an analysis has been made as to how Supplementary provisions are utilised.Latest report on funds surrendered for last 10 years reveals that at the end of the year more amounts are surrendered than allocated in a Supplementary Budget.While during last 10 years, Rs 48,041 crore has been provided through Supplementary allocations, however, the surrender amount in these years stands at Rs 65,865 crore.

Details reveal that the provision under the Supplementary Grants during 2010-11 was Rs 1,185 crore and surrendered amount was Rs 1,190 crore. In 2011-12, different departments were favoured with Rs 1,801 crore under the State Plan in Supplementary provisions, whereas departments have surrendered Rs 2,177 crore.

This disturbing trend exposing the spending capacity of the officials was also repeated in 2012-13 when various developmental departments surrendered Rs 2,854 crore, as against allocation of Rs 2,677 crore. The surrendered amount during 2013-14 was Rs 1,701 crore as against the Supplementary provision of Rs 2,809 crore. It crossed all limits when in 2014-15 surrendered amount was a whopping Rs 10,469 crore as against Supplementary provision of Rs 1,494 crore.

During 2015-16, while allocation amount in Supplementary Budget was Rs 8,374 crore and Rs 8,103 crore was surrendered by the fiscal end.

However in 2016-17, even more Supplementary provisions were surrendered as allocation was Rs 5,151 crore and surrendered amount was Rs 6,834 crore. During 2017-18, the Supplementary allocation was Rs 6,813 crore, whereas surrendered amount stood at Rs 7,102 crore.

In 2018-19, Supplementary provision was Rs 9,611 crore and at the end of the fiscal, the surrendered amount was Rs 10,947 crore. In 2019-20, the supplementary allocation was Rs 8,126 crore and surrendered amount was Rs 14, 488 crore. In 2020-21, the Minister Finance presented a Supplementary Budget of Rs 11,200 crore.

Such large scale surrender of Supplementary allocations has been repeatedly continuing for last 10 years and has been adversely commented by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) several times.

It is high time that the Supplementary provisions should not be made in such a routine manner as the State Government is facing a tough time in finding resources for developmental programmes as well as Covid-19 pandemic control, sources said, adding the State needs to take up more expenditure on programmes, which will boost the economy, instead of surrendering the amount.

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