U’khand budget row fallout: Fate of new schemes in limbo
The fate of all the new schemes, launched by the Harish Rawat-led government during the budget for 2016-17, hangs in balance owing to lack of clarity on the status of the Appropriation Bill, which got entangled in legalities.
The fate of all the new schemes, launched by the Harish Rawat-led government during the budget for 2016-17, hangs in balance owing to lack of clarity on the status of the Appropriation Bill, which got entangled in legalities.
The bill ‘fell through’ on the floor of the House on March 18 when nine Congress legislators had sought a division of votes on the money bill supporting the demand of the BJP, and the government was reduced to a minority.
Officials told HT on Thursday that the uncertainty also affected the reconstruction work at Chardham ravaged by floods in 2013.
“Owing to the measly budget the Centre has allocated through a vote-on-account, most of the new schemes of the Rawat government announced in budget have failed to take off,” said an official who did not wish to be identified.
State finance minister Indira Hridayesh said the meagre amount released by the Centre prevented the Rawat government from implementing the schemes including hike in pension for the underprivileged and statehood activists.
“However, the budget-related problems will soon be solved,” she said.
The BJP claimed that the Bill fell through on the floor of the House after the nine Congress legislators demanded a division of votes on the money bill, so the Centre allocated funds through a Presidential ordinance.
Prior to Rawat’s winning the Supreme Court-monitored floor-test on May 10, the President had signed an ordinance permitting the Centre to allocate the budget, and the funds were given to the state after Parliament ratified the Presidential ordinance on March 31.
Consequently, the state received `13,642 crore and that too for four months. “It’s a measly sum compared to the annual budget of `40,000 crore passed in the assembly,” said an official who did not wish to be identified.
“So, all new schemes have failed to take off,” a senior official of the chief minister’s office (CMO) said, adding that the budgetary constraints also affected the reconstruction in the Chardham.
A senior PWD official said fund crunch has badly affected the road construction work.
