The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Small slip puts big plan on hold

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Friday, Jan 09, 2009
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Small slip puts big plan on hold

Bageshree S.

Work on SC, ST hostels delayed as it was not cleared by Finance Department

Proposal is not in jeopardy, says official
104 new hostels were to come up housing 10,000 students

Bangalore: A small technical slip up on the part of a government department can put at risk a project meant to benefit thousands.

The work on as many 104 new hostels for 10,000 Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students cleared for 2008-09 has had to face hitches, despite having budget provisions, because it failed to meet the procedural formality of being cleared by the Finance Department before the passing of the Government Order.

The starting of the hostels for students from pre-university up to higher education in all the districts of Karnataka was cleared in a Government Order dated September 4, 2008. It also approved the appointment of staff required to run them.

However, after work got under way, the Finance Department wrote a letter to the Secretary to the Government, Social Welfare Department, stating that there has been a procedural flaw because Finance Department’s concurrences had not been sought and the Internal Financial Adviser was not consulted before issuing the Government Order.

It said that the decision on starting of the hostels should be put on hold.

The letter by the Undersecretary to the Government, Finance Department, said: “There is a budget provision of Rs. 3.5 crore for starting of new hostels. Mere availability of the provision does not mean that the activity can be approved without due consideration as per the established norms.”

The letter said that while the Social Welfare Department had taken the concurrences of the Finance Department before starting the new hostels the previous year, it had failed to do so this year.

It asked the Social Welfare Department to furnish information on the number of hostels started during the last five years, recurring expenditure of these hostels and other details.

Secretary of the Social Welfare Department Bharatlal Meena said that “Finance Department is now considering it and will make provisions”. He added that the proposal is not in jeopardy.

Kodandaram H., State President of Ambedkar Yuva Sena, who has procured copies of the transactions between the departments under the Right to Information Act, said: “But the entire confusion and delay could have been avoided if the department had foresight and followed procedures. After all, it is a question that concerns thousands of students.”

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