Bhubaneswar: For effective management of its finances, the state government has asked all the departments to surrender their unutilised funds, which were allotted in the annual Budget 2019-20, by the February-end.
Finance secretary AKK Meena recently wrote to the secretaries of all the departments fixing the deadlines for various fiscal initiatives. The departments have been instructed to release funds sanction order to the implementing agencies by February 26 and surrender the remaining funds by February 28.
“On receipt of intimation from the Finance department regarding shortfall in expenditure in the first three quarters of the current financial year, the amount to be surrendered is to be worked out in detail by the administrative departments under the Cash Management System and surrendered by February 28, 2020,” Meena said in his letter.
The Directorate of Treasuries and Inspection will allow expenditure for the month of March after taking into account the amount surrendered, he said.
He also clarified that the government will not allow the transfer of budgeted funds to civil deposit under any circumstance and transfer of money drawn from treasury to civil deposit is banned at all levels. The concerned controlling officers will be held personally liable for unauthorised transfer of funds to civil deposit, the secretary warned.
Meena also made it clear that disciplinary actions will be taken against the treasury officers/sub-treasury officers for violation of government orders in this regard.
Budgetary allocation pertaining to the Central Sector Schemes and Centrally Sponsored Schemes should not be surrendered in a routine manner where there is a likelihood of receipt of Central assistance and scope for expenditure towards the end of the financial year, he added.