BHUBANESWAR: Even as the process for elections has been set in motion, the state government has directed all departments to prepare revised estimates for 2023-24 and budget estimates for 2024-25 on or before April 30.
The government had presented an interim budget of Rs 1.18 lakh crore in February due to general elections to incur expenditure for the first four months of the 2024-25 financial year for existing establishments, schemes and projects. The total budget size, however, has been fixed at Rs 2.55 lakh crore, 11 per cent more than the provisions made for 2023-24.
Since the full-fledged budget for 2024-25 is likely to be presented in the first session of the 17th Assembly by end of June or early July, departments have been asked to submit their revised estimates on or before April 30. After the full budget is presented, the on-account provisions would be subsumed and the full budget provisions made available for incurring expenditure by departmental authorities following its approval by the Assembly.
Finance department sources said, the administrative departments may now require some internal realignment of budgetary allocations to give effect to certain policy decisions, like implementation of new schemes and programmes, new central schemes and other evolving development and welfare priorities of the state government.
There have also been instances of re-appropriations so as to meet any additional requirements by surrender under appropriate units of expenditure. “These issues need to be addressed in the budget formulation process to ensure that expenditure is incurred by public authorities without any difficulties,” said an official of the department.
All administrative departments will have to submit the additional/ adjustment budget proposals, if any, within the ceiling for formulation of revised estimates for 2023-24 and budget estimates for 2024-25. They have been asked to send the proposals to the Planning and Convergence and Finance departments.
In the interim budget, the government had pegged the programme expenditure at Rs 1.4 lakh crore and the capital outlay of Rs 63,162 crore, which was one of the highest among all major states. The administrative expenditure was estimated at Rs 1,03,500 crore which included Rs 32,571 crore on salary, Rs 22,591 crore on pension, interest payment of Rs 7,566 crore and principal repayment of Rs 22,765 crore.