The Nainital district has been able to utilise only Rs29.27 crore out of Rs52.65 crore released to it under the district plan so far this financial year. Some of the departments which have been slow in spending the fund under the district plan included the district basic education sector. The matter of concern is that the department has not been able to utilise any amount so far in the current fiscal in Nainital district.
According to the district administration Nainital, the Nainital basic education department has yet not been able to spend any fund out of Rs208. 93 lakh released under district plan to it this financial year. Though the overall performance of the Nainital district administration has not been very impressive as far as the issue of fund utilisation is concerned with spending only a little more than 50 per cent under the district plan fund this financial year, there are some other departments whose performances have been equally concerning on the fund utilisation front.
The district medical and health department has spent only Rs80.54 lakh so far out of Rs281 lakh released to it under the district plan followed by the district animal husbandry department with spending only Rs219.25 lakh against Rs274.71 lakh released under the district plan, the tourism sector with using only Rs43 lakh against Rs90 lakh released so far under the district plan and the forest department with utilisation of only Rs14 lakh against Rs30 lakh released to it under the same district plan, as the officials concerned of the Nainital district dministration said.
However, with the current financial year coming to its fag end the Nainital district administration has asked the officials concerned of different departments particularly those departments which have been slow in spending the fund released to them, to ensure full utilization of the fund released to them by March 15, 2015, expediting the developmental process.
Mention worthy, the State Government had released the district plan fund to all the districts in single installment at an initial phase of this fiscal year instead of releasing the same amount in different installments. The basic purpose of doing this was only to ensure timely utilisaiton of the said district plan fund. But it is to be seen whether the respective district administrations including Nainital become able to spend the fund released under the district plan within the given period of time i.e. till March 31, 2015 or not.