BENGALURU: The state government has hauled up the department of women and child development over its failure to use funds allocated to it in the previous budget and has refused to grant more funds until it uses up the money still with it.
Additional chief secretary (Finance) ISN Prasad has written to his counterpart in Women and child development department, Rakesh Singh, stating that the finance department had reviewed grants allotted to the department in the 2019-20 budget and found that some funds had not been utilised.
"If you do not utilise funds by end of this financial year, do not expect or come up with new proposals or additional funds, we are not going to allot new grants without (the department) utilising the previous budget fund allocation," Prasad said in the letter.
It also found, shockingly, that this has been a long-standing problem with the department which is also responsible for the welfare of senior citizens and people with disabilities. Funds allotted to the department under various schemes not just in 2018-2019 but also for several years prior to that have not been used.
Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa has already begun holding meetings with various departments ahead of the first budget his government is due to present on March 5. Government departments are busy coming up with proposals with new schemes and seeking funds for existing welfare programmes.