State clears 253 proposals in last-minute juggle

Despite strictures by vigilance agencies, Maharashtra once again walked a tightrope between financial prudence and political appeasement on the last day of the financial year.

As many as 253 proposals and government resolutions for disbursement and release of grants/funds were approved. A chunk of these allocations was the politically sensitive budget head 25/15 of the rural development department, head 30/35 of the public works department (PWD), and the block grant of the urban development department (UDD), sources said. The three are works related to roads, water schemes, and civic works.

“The head 25/15 related to the aid extended to the panchayati raj institutions involves a lot of bragging between factions of the government. Many governments had fallen when this fund was decided before March 31, leaving room for political wrangling. It is best to allocate this money on the last day,” a senior official said. The head 25/15 is allocated as per demands of the individual legislators, and is allegedly directed towards the constituencies of the ruling party members. The UDD’s block grant and the PWD funds are at the disposal of the individual ministers. “For both, we have, this year, received an approval list on the last day of the financial year,” an official from the finance department said.

The year-end spending has been a contentious issue, which even found a mention in this year’s report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG). Of the ₹322 crore drawn through contingent bills, nearly 66% (₹213 crore) was drawn on the last day of the financial year 2016-2017. This indicates it was primarily to exhaust the budget provision, and reveals inadequate budgetary control, the CAG said.

The Maharashtra Treasury Rules, 1968, mandates when money is drawn by drawing and disbursing officers, the detailed contingent bills containing vouchers in ‘support of final expenditure’ must be submitted within 30 days to the offices of the principal accountant general. Officials said the next CAG audit will be a better reflection of the performance.

Of this year’s withdrawals, the last minute extension of funds was provided by various departments on March 31. The worst offenders were the home department, general administration, law and judiciary, rural development, urban development, and the animal husbandry department.

The agriculture department released funds for the Krushi Unnati Scheme, Crop Statistic Scheme, National Horticulture Mission, Per Drop More Crop Scheme, and the Turmeric Mechanisation and Post Harvest Management Project. Senior officials clarified these were mere accounting adjustments pending for the last minute since the release by the Centre was delayed. “This is not our fault. If the Centre releases money in instalments, we have to make the entry in full only on the income side to adjust it later on,” an official said.