Srinagar, 28 July (H.S.): Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today chaired a high-level review meeting on Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) at the Civil Secretariat here and directed all departments to significantly accelerate the pace of expenditure, emphasizingthat timely utilization of available funds is critical for infrastructure development, public service delivery and sustained economic growth.

The Chief Minister underscored the need for focused attention on departments lagging in expenditure and cautioned against the practice of delaying spending until the closing months of the financial year.

“To have money and not spend it is incompetence. This is very difficult to justify. Not having money is easier to explain, but it is impossible to explain when funds are available and remain unutilized,” the Chief Minister said while addressing the meeting.

He said the review was intentionally convened at the beginning of the financial cycle rather than towards the end of the year so that corrective measures could be taken in time and departments could utilize the remaining working season effectively.

“There is still ample working season available in both the Kashmir Valley and the Jammu plains. There should be no reason why funds already released are not spent appropriately. Every department must give this focused attention,” he said.

The meeting was attended by Ministers Sakina Itoo, Javed Ahmed Rana, Javid Ahmed Dar and Satish Sharma.

Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, Additional Chief Secretary, Power Development Department, Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister, Additional Chief Secretary, Tourism, Additional Chief Secretary, Public Works Department, Additional Chief Secretary, Finance, all Administrative Secretaries, Director General Budget, Director General Codes, Heads of Departments and other senior officers attended the meeting. Outstation officers participated through video conferencing.

Reviewing the implementation of the Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI), the Chief Minister directed departments to ensure full utilization of allocations under the scheme, warning that any unspent amount during the current financial year would reduce Jammu and Kashmir’s allocation in the next fiscal.

He stressed that every rupee available under SASCI Part-I must be utilized and instructed departments to identify eligible projects without delay. He also directed ministers to personally review reform-linked targets under the scheme on a fortnightly basis so that Jammu and Kashmir could qualify for additional financial assistance under the reform component of SASCI.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Krishan Kumar