‘Submit RFD or face action'

Govt. wakes up to find no report on funds-utilization for the last 3 years

NL Correspondent

Srinagar: Jammu Kashmir, the state that has earned notoriety for being ‘unaccountable' in its governance framework has suddenly woke up to find that its departments have not submitted the ‘Results Framework Document (RFD)'  earlier known as Funds Utilization Certificate for the last many years particularly for the last three years since it became mandatory to be submitted every year.

With the fiscal year 2016-2017 nearing to an end, the government has directed the departmental heads to submit ‘Results Framework Document (RFD)' to check utilization of funds in the current fiscal.

Most of the departmental heads have failed to prepare RFD for the past three years. But this fiscal, the directive have been issued to departmental heads to submit the RFD or “face action”. They have been warned of action if they failed to prepare RFD to evaluate their performances and to ensure transparency in running the departments.

Official sources, said it has been found in the past that there was lack of coordination between various departments for not seeking concurrence from the planning, finance and monitoring departments before starting various developmental schemes. “In some works, funds have got lapsed which remained unutilized due to mismanagement of officials,” an official of planning department said. “Once the departments submit their RFD report, the planning, development and monitoring department will prepare its own report to check the progress of development in the state,” he added.

Planning development and monitoring department acts as a nodal agency to look after the implementation of planning process in the state. This department has also been entrusted with the task of maintaining active liaison with the government of India, especially with the NITI Aayog to ensure effective implementation of centrally sponsored schemes in the state.

The state government launched RFD in December 2012 that was aimed to judge the performance of departments and to bring transparency in the functioning of the government.

As per the guidelines, the administrative secretaries have to evaluate performance of their departments under RFD.

In view that very less developmental works took place in the past few years and funds got lapsed, the finance department has directed departments that during the last quarter of the year the expenditure should be limited to 33 percent of budget allocation. “In the month of March, the expenditure should be limited to 15 percent of the budget estimates,” the finance department has directed to departments.

“Most of the department were failing to spend budget allocation funds in the first three quarters of the year and then they were not able to utilize these funds in the last quarter of the year due to weather conditions and other reasons,” a senior official of finance department said.

Chief Secretary B R Sharma, said the unrest in 2016 has affected the developmental works but the government wants to ensure all utilization of funds. “The RFD will also help the government to check progress of each department separately,” Sharma said.