JAMMU: Jammu and Kashmir government has "violated the state budget manual" as it failed to surrender around Rs 10,520 crore as budgetary savings, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India said in its report.
"At the close of the year 2015-16, there were 22 grants and five appropriations (state budget) in which savings (Rs 10,520.33 crore) occurred. However, during the anticipation of savings, no surrender was made by the concerned government departments," CAG report for the year ending March 31, 2016, said.
The report was tabled in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly recently during its special session on GST.
"Saving in these cases was of the order of Rs 10,520.33 crore in 46 cases (involving 27 budget grants and three appropriations), where savings involved were Rs 1 crore and above."
"The non-surrender of the funds deprived the government of the opportunity to transfer these funds to other needy sectors," it said.
As per the state budget manual, the spending departments are required to surrender grants, appropriations or saving portion to the finance department as and when the savings are anticipated.
The outcome of the appropriation audit shows that in 44 cases, savings exceeded Rs 1 crore in each case or by more than 20 per cent of the total provision, he said.
Of these, excess expenditure by more than 10 per cent has been observed consistently for the last five years in respect of one appropriation, it added.
The CAG report said that the finance department has failed to surrender Rs 2,189 crore, Rs 2,691.80 crore by planning and development department, Rs 1,347 crore by revenue department, Rs 707.60 crore by PDD, Rs 506.59 crore by public works department, Rs 496.95 crore by health and medical education department, Rs 496.69 crore by rural development department.
According to Jammu and Kashmir Financial Code, rush of expenditure in the closing month of the financial year should be avoided and strictly monitored, it said.