It stated that since the Appropriation Bill for 2013-14 has been passed by the State Assembly, “the departments should therefore carefully chalk out a work programme from the beginning of the financial year and make available provision made in the Annual Budget to the spending Units in the month of April, 2013.”
The government has also directed the departments to give top most priority to expenditure on creation of capital assets, completion of projects, reduction in Non-Plan Revenue Expenditure and the cost of operation of various services.
While Secretaries and Administrative Departments will review physical achievement against expenditure by 15th of every month against monthly/ quarterly targets, funds should be released according to a definite action plan for achieving the quantifiable physical target fixed for the year, it said.
Mentioning about priority areas of expenditure, the government stressed that while releasing funds all the concerned officials must give priority to programmes/schemes where expenditure is reimbursable, completion of the incomplete projects under the Zero Based Investment Review and State’s own flagship programmes like Biju KBK, Biju Gram Jyoti, Gopabandhu Gramin Yojana, Biju Setu Yojana etc.
The State Government made it clear that while scrutinizing proposal for sanction of expenditure, the progress of submission of Utilization Certificate in respect of expenditure incurred up to the proceeding month and expenditure incurred during 2012-13 should be reviewed.
“The time limit for submission of Utilisation Certificate in respect of grant in aid provided by State government and grants received from Govt of India as indicated in Finance Department letter no.8437(40)/F., dated 6.3.2012 is to be scrupulously adhered to,” it said.
The Government has further suggested the departments that completion of all formalities relating to sanction and release of funds in the early part of the financial year would accelerate the pace of expenditure in the first three quarters.
“The expenditure in the last quarter of the financial year and in the month of March ought to be within 40% and 15% respectively of the Annual budget provision,” the release stated.
It has further directed all the concerned officials that last date for submission of bills to the treasuries in the financial year 2013-14 will be 10 March, 2014 for claims under other Contingency, Machinery, Equipment, Vehicle, Share Capital, Subsidy, Loan and 15 March, 2014 for other claims.
The Odisha Government instructed that based on the directions issued to all Departments to complete the process of distribution of allotments to the district development officers (DDOs) through Odisha Treasury Portal by 31.03.2013, the detailed DDO-wise budget allotments for 2013-14 should be distributed forthwith through the aforesaid portal in order to enable the Treasuries/Special Trerasuries/ Sub Treasuries to check the bills against budgetary allotment through iOTMS.
It also authorized the administrative departments to sanction expenditure under Non-Plan, State Plan, Central Plan and Centrally Sponsored Plan Schemes up to the limit of QEA including expenditure for grants and subsidies.
“All Administrative Departments including those covered under the cash management System would be required to obtain prior approval of Finance Department/Planning and Co-ordination Department as the case may be before releasing funds in respect of schemes/provisions reserved for Post Budget Scrutiny,” it said.