Release of Fund relating to Administrative Expenditure, 2024-25

GOVERNMENT OF WEST BENGAL
Finance Department
Budget Branch
Nabanna, Howrah-711 102

No. 2448-F.B. Howrah, the 28th March, 2024

MEMORANDUM

The undersigned is directed to say that The West Bengal Appropriation (No. 2) Bill, 2024 has been passed by the West Bengal Legislative Assembly. Copies of the West Bengal Appropriation (No. 2) Act, 2024 have been forwarded to the Administrative Departments under Finance (Budget) Department Memo. No. 2447-F.B. dated 28th March, 2024.

(A) The Governor has now been pleased to decide as follows:

(i) To release fund upto 50% of the whole year’s Budget Provision for the financial year 2024-25, relating to Administrative Expenditure for Salary Items (including Salary Grants & Wages), Diet (21-01), Drug (21-02), Other Hospital Consumables (21-03), Medical Gases including Oxygen (21-05), Electricity Charges (13-01), Telephone Charges (13-02), Rent, Rates and Taxes (14-00), Hospital and Sanitary Charges (86-00) and Capitation Fees for Insured Medical Practitioners (28-01).

(ii) To release fund up to 50% of the whole years’ Budget Provision for the financial year 2024-25 relating to Administrative Expenditure under “Scholarship & Stipends (34-00)” for Health & Family Welfare Department.

(iii) To release fund upto 25% of the whole years’ Budget provision for the financial year 2024-25, for other Non-Salary items under Administrative Expenditure except the heads of account related to State Disaster Risk Management Fund (SDRMF) under the major head “2245-Relief on account of Natural Calamities”.

(iv) Within the powers delegated under Delegation of Financial Power Rules, 1977 as amended from time to time or by virtue of the powers delegated in specific cases, the Administrative Departments/ Controlling Authorities may sanction expenditure out of the Administrative Expenditure except “33-Subsidies” and “55-Loans & Advances”.

(v) To release fund under “55-Loans and Advances” up to 50% of whole years’ budget provision for the financial year 2024-25, for payment of salary/ wages to the employees of the Public Sector Undertakings under the Administrative control of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises and Textiles Department, Information and Cultural Affairs Department, Industry, Commerce & Enterprises Department, Health & Family Welfare Department, Transport Department and Public Works Department, subject to the condition that the drawal in each month will be limited as per actual requirement.

(vi) To release fund in favour of Transport Department against “33-Subsidies” up to 50% of Budget provision for the financial year 2024-25 under the major head of account “3055-Road Transport”, for payment of salary, pension and other retirement benefits in respect of the employees of the Transport Corporations and also release fund under “7055-Loans for Roads Transport” and “7056-Loans for inland Water Transport” up to 30% of Budget provision for the year 2024-25, subject to the condition that the drawal in each month will be limited as per actual requirement.

(vii) To release fund relating to State Development Schemes up to 33% of the whole years’ Budget provision of the financial year 2024-25. The Administrative Department may sanction expenditure in cases of administratively approved schemes except in the following cases for which concurrence from the Finance Department in Budget Branch will have to be obtained:

(a) Schemes relating to EAP, 15th Finance Commission, all Centrally Sponsored Schemes & Central Sector Schemes and any other schemes for which central assistance is available.

(b) Release of fund under 33-Subsidies, 55-Loans and Advances, 54-Investment.

(viii) To release fund relating to RIDF under State Development Scheme up to 25% of the whole years’ Budget Provision for the financial year 2024-25.

(ix) To release fund up to 33% of the Budget Provision for 2024-25 for implementation of the flagship schemes “Jai Bangla” and “Lakshmir Bhander” under State Development Schemes subject to the condition that the drawal in each month will be limited as per actual requirement.

(B) While issuing orders for sanctioning expenditure in exercise of the powers delegated under this Memorandum, the following sentence should be inserted in such orders “This order issues in exercise of the powers delegated under Finance Department Memo No. 2448-FB dated 28.03.2024”.

(C) The powers delegated to the Administrative Departments/ Controlling Authorities to release fund are subject to the following conditions:-

i) The project/ scheme for which fund is to be released has been administratively approved following the existing procedure after obtaining concurrence of Financial Advisor of the Department within the specified limit as enumerated in Finance Department Memo No. 5035-F(Y) dated 28.08.2023. In case of expenditure for the project/ scheme exceeds the specified limit, concurrence of Finance Department will have to be obtained.

ii) The amount to be released can be accommodated within the allotted fund out of budget provision under project/ scheme;

iii) There are no deviations- technical or otherwise from the approved norms.

(D) This Order will be effective from 01.04.2024.

Additional Chief Secretary to the
Government of West Bengal

No. 2448-FB dated 28.03.2024, Source