NEW DELHI: The delegation of financial powers in the Delhi government has been revised, with heads of departments given more powers to take decisions on financial matters. The step taken by Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal is aimed at smoothening the progress of development projects and the movement of files related to them.
Such changes were last made in 2015 by the then lieutenant governor. According to officials, many departments have been complaining about the slow progress of projects due to the lack of financial powers with officials such as secretaries and heads of departments, who are authorised to take decisions on financial matters involving sums up to a certain limit.
With the Arvind Kejriwal government bracing for Assembly polls at the end of this year or early next year, a number of public welfare projects are being pushed by the Cabinet, but officials are finding it difficult to clear the projects.
The Expenditure Finance Committee, a government authority comprising 12 members, including senior officers, and having the law minister at its helm, is the foremost body within the government taking decisions on the requirement of funds for various projects. The EFC now has a revised manual, under which it will only look at projects involving more than Rs 100 crore. This limit was Rs 15 crore earlier. The EFC is headed by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia.
“The biggest advantage of this will be that files will not be stopped at heads and secretaries and EFC due to financial restraint. The EFC will now deal with projects which are of higher grade and the other works will be decided and passed by senior officials,” said a Delhi government official.
