Review meeting held to discuss financial strategy
By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 16 Oct: Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami today held a review meeting on the financial situation in the state. During the meeting, he directed the departments concerned to adopt innovative ways to increase revenue in the state. He stressed that the departments should focus on new sources to increase revenue of the state and also pay special attention to ensure proper implementation of the related schemes to enhance revenue collection. Finance Minister Prem Chand Aggarwal was also present at the review meeting.
The CM emphasised that the departments should adopt new methods and strategies to increase revenue collection. Regular strict measures should be taken to improve the tax collection process and prevent tax evasion. It should be ensured that the general public fully benefits from various development and public interest works. Along with prudence regarding the expenditure, special attention should also be paid to quality of work, he added.
Dhami said that strong financial management is the core mantra of the state government. He emphasised om the need to make greater efforts to increase the state’s own revenue resources. He appreciated the efforts made to increase revenue in the mining sector. It was reminded that, this year, there has been a 70 percent increase in the mining sector in the first half of the current financial year compared to the previous year, achieving 52 percent of the total annual target.
The CM stressed on greater efforts to increase revenue in sectors like SGST, transport, excise, forestry, and energy. He said that financial austerity is also a must in government expenditure in addition policy interventions to increase the state’s income. He also instructed officials to ensure that the new policies made by the state government and the amendments made to existing policies have a clear impact on Uttarakhand’s economy. A holistic approach should be adopted for the successful implementation of policies. He said that austerity does not mean compromising on the concept of a welfare state. The government’s strategy will be to carry out public welfare works more effectively. To undertake ambitious projects and public welfare works, it is necessary to increase the state’s resources and properly analyse the cost and benefits of larger projects. Financial prudence should incorporate improving productivity, reducing unnecessary expenses, and making proper use of resources.
The meeting discussed efforts to increase state revenue resources, trends in committed and non-committed expenditures, availability of adequate resources for important schemes, and better utilisation of fiscal resources. Discussion was also held on e-monitoring of capital projects from DPR preparation to project completion, the use of e-governance, digital monitoring of revenue sources, the use of paperless methods for records, documents, and services, and promoting e-vehicles. The CM directed that schemes with a central and state share ratio of 90:10 should be given more priority. He also directed to expedite public works funded by NABARD.
Chief Secretary Radha Raturi, Additional Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan, Principal Secretary Justice Pradeep Pant, Principal Secretaries RK Sudhanshu and L Fanai, Special Chief Secretary Amit Sinha and various secretaries to the government were present at the meeting.
