The Plan projects of local self-government institutions and government departments for the current year will be tweaked to mobilise resources for addressing the challenges thrown up by the recent floods.
The State Planning Board has already initiated discussions on shifting the focus of the Plan and reorienting it for rebuilding public infrastructure and rehabilitating those rendered homeless and who have sustained extensive crop damage in the flood-hit districts.
The norms set for local bodies for sectoral allocation of funds would be relaxed and they would be directed to lay more accent on rebuilding roads, bridges and buildings on a war footing.
Local bodies, both urban and rural, have saved a substantial sum by introducing e-tender for their projects and the savings would be routed for reconstruction. “A broad consensus has been evolved on re-prioritising projects that demand urgent execution and local bodies have been directed to channelise their resources for bettering the lot of those seriously affected by the floods,” Planning Board member K.N. Harilal told The Hindu .
Projects involving different agencies and those facing executional hurdles, mainly due to purchase of land resources, would be deferred. Similarly, schemes that have not been launched due to technical and other hitches would be put off.
Maintenance fund given to local bodies would be used for reconstruction of infrastructure. District and block panchayats have adequate funds at their disposal for road maintenance, but there are procedural hitches for taking up works on village roads. Such procedures would be eased.
Compared to the previous years, Plan implementation and fund utilisation had registered a remarkable progress in the current year. The fund absorption rate till June has been pegged at 13% against 1.50% during the same period in 2015. The floods have upset the preparations for further hiking the expenditure rate. But due care would be taken to sustain the momentum in local governments, sources said.
The Plan projects of various departments for the current year too would be tweaked. Projects that have not been launched so far may either be shelved or deferred and new priorities would be set to channelise resources for rehabilitation and reconstruction. Heads of departments would be directed to furnish details of the projects undertaken and the progress in execution, sources said.
