Going by the sluggish speed at which the AAP Government is executing its developmental projects, it would not be able to complete even 45 per cent of the works in the current financial year, according to sources.
The Delhi Government has spent its 37.79 per cent of the non-plan fund in its first five months of the current financial year while it has spent only 17.37 per cent of its planned fund.
On the other hand, the money spent in the non- planned fund head is mostly used for salary, subsidies, contingencies programme and other miscellaneous activities of the Government and if the same trend continues the Government may be short of funds under this head.
In its Budget for 2015-16, the Government had allocated about Rs19,000 crore for its plan expenditure while the non plan allocation was Rs22,129 crore.
It is noted that during the Presidents Rule, the Delhi Government ended up spending Rs6,497 crore during the first five months after the Budget.
Sources told The Pioneer that the Government was able to spend only Rs3,300 crore of its plan expenditure during the past five months that include both capital and revenue expenditures.
That means that the departments have been able to spend only 17.37 per cent of its plan expenditure.
During the President’s Rule, the Delhi Government had allocated Rs13,979 crore under the plan expenditure for 2014-15. Of the total plan expenditure, the departments were able to spend Rs3,489 crore on development projects for the same period in Delhi.
Sources said as per available figures, the AAP Government had spent Rs189 crore less than what was spend under the plan expenditure in the corresponding period in the last financial year.
The decline of 5.42 per cent expenditure was not a good sign for developmental activities of the national Capital, said sources.
“If the Government would spend the money at the same space in the remaining seven months, it would not be able to spend even 45 per cent on its development projects,” said the sources.
It would be pertinent to mention that the Expenditure Finance Committee, which deliberates on infrastructure projects, has reportedly not even met once during the past five months.
During former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit’s 15-year-old regime, the EFC was convened at least once a month to clear funds for the infrastructure projects.
The Arvind Kejriwal Government which had allocated Rs22,129 crore for non-plan expenditure has already ended up spending Rs8,361 crore so far. The AAP Government’s spending under non plan head is Rs1,864 crore more than what had been spent during the Presidents Rule.