In a major setback to the UT Administration, the Government of India (GoI) has declined the request to allocate additional funds amounting to Rs 200 crore to the UT under revised budget estimates for fiscal year 2013-’14.
The Administration had sought additional funds of Rs 200 crore from the Centre in its revised budget estimates for 2013-’14 under non-plan budget. Sources said that in a written communication to the UT Administration, the GoI has informed that no additional funds would be allocated to the Administration. The GoI has also asked the Administration to utilise the funds already allocated in annual budget 2013-’14.
The Centre had allocated plan budget to Rs 876.05 crore and non-plan budget of Rs 2,178.78 crore for fiscal year 2013-’14. An increase of 19 per cent in plan budget and 20 per cent in non plan budget allocation was registered in fiscal 2013-’14 as compared to the previous financial year 2012-’13. This fiscal year, the UT Administration had got Rs 260.37 crore (29.72 per cent of total budget allocation) for the urban development sector.
During the last financial year 2012-’13, a large number of the UT Departments had failed to utilise the budget allocated by the Centre.
A senior official of the UT Administration said, “The Administration had sent revised budget estimates for fiscal year 2013-’14 to the Centre seeking an additional fund of Rs 200 crore under non-plan allocation. As the Centre has declined to provide the funds, the Administration would now plan accordingly to spend the already approved budget allocations for the current fiscal year.”
Under revised budget estimates, Rs 200 crore compensation sought for farmers was enhanced by a different court in the past. Also, the additional funds were to be used for other work planned by the UT. For next fiscal 2014-’15, the UT Administration is likely to seek an increase of 10-15 per cent as compared to current fiscal year’s budget allocation.