Re-prioritisation of Plan schemes begins

This is to achieve the 20% cut announced by the govt for rebuilding initiatives

All departments, except public works and water resources, have commenced re-prioritisation of their 80% approved Plan schemes for the current financial year to achieve the 20% cut announced by the government for funding its rebuilding initiatives.

Centrally-sponsored schemes, externally aided projects and schemes assisted by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) have been excluded from the cut. Departments have been directed to exclude committed expenditure from the exercise since the government would have to scrap the administrative sanction accorded to such schemes and that would only amount to deferring of the scheduled expenditure and not in effect benefit the resource mobilisation process.

Committed expenditure would include schemes that have already been launched, contract awarded, services procured, payments made for disbursing pensions, and for insurance premium annually.

Each department would have to identify the schemes that could be scrapped or shelved to attain the 20% cut. That means, it would have to list out schemes that have already been launched so that it could be exempted from the process.

Those that have not been initiated or could be shelved for the time being would face the axe in the current context. Road laying and resuming drinking water supply in the affected areas being the top priority of the government, the two departments have been kept off the process.

The mobilised resources are being mostly used for building roads, reviving drinking water sources and relaying pipelines that were damaged in the flood. Local self-government institutions too have taken up a similar exercise and are set to complete soon.

Since the thrust is on rebuilding and revival of infrastructure facilities, mainly public assets, the departments could suggest amendments to existing schemes and propose fresh ones for livelihood restoration, rehabilitation and such others.

The government has set October 15 as the deadline for furnishing the list of scrapped or amended schemes. Such proposals would come up before the special working group that would take a final call after examining their merit. Rebuilding the State being one of the top priorities, the evaluation process would be completed within a month, sources said.