According to report till Feb 29 last, that is in the first 11 months of the financial year 2011-12, the state has spent just 55.12 per cent of the amount. It remains to be seen as to how will it spent the remaining 45 per cent in just one month. There is a lurking fear of March loot though the state government is claiming that it is making efforts to prevent it.

Till December 2011 the state government had spent only 40 per cent of the budget. It was then argued that an overwhelming amount is normally spent in the last three months. Thus it was thought that the pace of expenditure would increase, but in the next two months, that is, till Feb 29, the state government could spent only 15 more per cent.

Official concede that if the amount is not spent it will hit the development work in the state. At the same time it gives an idea of the prevailing work culture in the state.

The plan size was initially of Rs 28,000 crore. But the revised estimate was put at Rs 29,188 crore.

It seems that the state government is less interested in achieving the developmental target and more in wasteful expenditure in the name of celebrations like Bihar Diwas, Global Summit on Changing Bihar, centenary celebration of Bihar Legislative Council etc––the three important events on which the bureaucracy have been kept engaged in the last three months.

As mentioned above the Commercial Taxes department and Excise Department have the rarest distinction of spending not a single percentage in the first 11 months while Cabinet Coordination Department have spent only 4.05 per cent and Sugarcane industry deparment mere 4.82 per cent––yet the state government is making tall claims of reviving sugar industry.

The agriculture deparment, which is said to be on the top of agenda, has spent only 65.12 per cent and animal husbandry department 44.85 per cent.

The cooperative department has spent 74.39 per cent, food and consumer protection 98.18 per cent. The Tourism Department has utilized 73.58 per cent while transport 100 per cent.

The Art and Culture deparment has spent 40.70 per cent, Backward Class and Extreme Backward Class Welfare Department 44.10 per cent, Building Construction 45.48 per cent.

The disaster Management has spent 26.48, Electricity Deparment 28.76, Finance Deparment, which is held by deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi just  21.31 per cent, Information Technology 30.06 per cent, Labour 45.34 per cent, Law department 28.04, Panchayati Raj  37.32 per cent, PHED 42.85 per cent.

Science and Technology deparments has spent 46.38 and Urban Development and Housing 48.28 per cent.

Road, rural works and rural development departments have so far spent 69.83, 78.44 and 72.45 per cent funds respectively.

Comment

comments...

The Bihar Times has raised an  important issue plaguing the pace of development  - tardy progress  in the expenditure of  available developmental  funds at snail’s pace throughout the year and  a scramble to spend  huge balance funds during last 2-3 months.  All those charged with the responsibility  to ensure timely delivery  as well as those genuinely interested in the development of the state from all walks of life   should sit back and reflect  as to how  this situation has come about and what remedial measures could be taken . Is it the inertia and indifference which have gripped  administrative machinery or  the priorities have got lopsided  with no one  keeping a watch on utilization of funds on a monthly, quarterly or six-monthly basis ? . After all,  whose responsibility it was to keep a watch  and  bring slippages  to the attention of  the top policy level from time to time ?    The present  situation  should serve  as a wake-up call  and the state government  must put in place a credible and effective  monitoring  and evaluation mechanism from the block to the state level   for a regular and substantive quantitative and qualitative   review of developmental projects. This is what the State Farmers Commission   had suggested to the government in 2008 and   submitted  a blueprint as to how it could be done. Apart from a monthly review at the   departmental  level , a quarterly review by the State Cabinet  of the overall expenditure   and department –wise review  at each of the Cabinet  meetings  one after the other were among the main recommendations of the Farmers Commission. Monitoring and review  are the raison  d’ etre of an efficient and streamlined administration. This would ,  no doubt , call for serious and  analytical homework on the part of officials and others involved   but there is no escape from that, if we have to ensure that  every rupee that is available from central or state resources  is timely utilized in the best possible manner  in the interest of the poor and the  needy.

The state government had some time back  taken a welcome decision that  the officials including departmental Secretaries and  Technical Heads should spend a minimum number of nights in the rural areas  , inspect the implementation of the projects and listen to the grievances of the people. One does not know if the instructions were scrupulously followed.

Ramadhar,   IAS (retired)

Former Chairman, Bihar State Farmers Commission

Former Member, Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices(CACP), Government of india

Former Service Chief, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the UN, Rome ( Italy)