Fiscal 2019-2020: 27 departments failed to utilize Rs 26, 097 crore

GUWAHATI: In the last fiscal (2019-2020) that ended on March 31, 2020, altogether 27 departments failed to utilize Rs 26,097 crore. In other words, they utilized Rs 51,225 crore within the mentioned period. The budgetary allocation of these 27 departments was Rs 77,322 crore. This has been revealed in data of the Finance Department.

The highest amount of Rs 2,731 crore remained unutilized (of the allocated Rs 3,640 crore) with the 'Transformation & Development Department' followed by the Power (Electricity) Department: Rs 2,512 crore (allocated: Rs 4,249 crore), and the PWD (Roads): Rs 2,225 crore of the allocated: Rs 11,118 crore.

Sources informed that this happens due to several reasons. Owing to lack of coordination between the Finance and the individual departments, crores of the allocated money remains unspent every fiscal. Another reason is that many departments fail to submit their schemes to the Finance department at the proper time.

Last financial year, the following eight departments failed to utilize budgetary allocation of above Rs 1,000 crore: Education (Secondary): Rs 2,224 crore; Home: Rs 2,076 crore; Panchayat & Rural Development: Rs 1,779 crore; Urban Development: Rs 1,590 crore; PHE: Rs 1,393 crore; Education (Elementary): Rs 1,376 crore; Agriculture: Rs 1,220 crore; Revenue & Disaster Management: Rs 1,172 crore.

Similarly the following 16 departments that to use budgetary allocation of below Rs 1,000 crore: Irrigation: Rs 790 crore; Education (Higher): Rs 778 crore; Water Resources: Rs 701 crore; Guwahati Development: Rs 516 crore; Social Welfare: Rs 501 crore; Food & Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs: Rs 486 crore; Environment & Forest: Rs 339 crore; Hill Areas: Rs 312 crore; PWD (Buildings & NH): Rs 297 crore; Skill, Employment & Entrepreneurship: Rs 230 crore; Education (Technical): Rs 199 crore; Tourism: Rs 180 crore; Industries & Commerce: Rs 162 crore; Cultural Affairs: Rs 158 crore; Sports & Youth Welfare: Rs 93 crore; Information & Technology: Rs 57 crore.

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