Telangana State for judicious use of welfare funds

Hyderabad: Faced with financial crisis which the government claims is on account of recession has decide to bring in strict regulations in release of funds.

For the next six months strict regulations will be followed for release of funds for implementation of welfare and developmental programmes.

Funds for rice subsidy, Aasara pension, power subsidy and salaries will be released on monthly basis and for all other State and centrally-sponsored schemes as well as salaries for Home Guards, Anganwadi workers and people engaged on contract basis against sanctioned permanent posts will be released once in every quarter.

The government also made it clear that no re-appropriation will be allowed for new schemes, scholarships, stipends,water charges, electricity charges, rents and taxes for which funds were already sanctioned.

Top officials of the state Finance department said that the available funds are being utilised judiciously and the top priority will be accorded to welfare schemes and the only the funds earmarked for them will be released.

For instance, the government allocated Rs 1,000 crore for the implementation of Kalyana Laxmi and Shaadi Mubarak. The government has put a cap on the release of funds.

Similarly, the implementing agencies of the scholarship and stipend schemes will not be allowed to seek more funds.

The respective departments will have to adjust the available funds till the end of financial year.

Provisions made for new schemes and for loans in 2019-20 will also be considered for release only after receipt of proposals from departments concerned with adequate supporting documents.

State Finance Secretary K Ramakrishna Rao said that the Secretaries of all departments were asked to strictly follow the regulations to obtain BROs (Budget Release Order) and LoC (Letter of Credit) for the works to be taken through agencies other than the Public Works Engineering department in the government.

The Secretaries were also requested to follow the prescribed instructions for issuing administrative sanctions based on the BROs issued by the Finance Department strictly.

The HODs (Heads of the Departments) should also prefer bills based on the BROs and administrative sanctions.

Earlier, the HODs were given freedom to divert the funds and utilise them for other schemes and programmes initiated on their own.