As the State stares at a tight economic condition in the coming months owing to the COVID-19 lockdown, several new works that had been proposed in the new financial year could be axed, even as departments are now busy prioritising works.
For example, the Irrigation Department, which sees large works and has a budget provision of nearly ₹20,000 crore in addition to ₹10,000 crore announced for the Upper Krishna Project work, has been asked by the Finance Department not to take up new works.
“While all tender procedures have been postponed for now, the Finance Department has asked us not to take up any work mentioned in the 2020-2021 budget,” a senior official in the department confirmed. “We are expecting another instruction from the Finance department post April 20 as the works that will be taken up is dependent on the financial situation of the State,” the official said.
On the special grant of ₹10,000 crore for UKP, the official said that they were expecting the budgetary allocation itself to shrink in the coming months with only priority works being taken forward.
“Under the current circumstances, I do not think the grant will come,” the official added.
Another department executing big projects across the State, the Public Works Department, has been asked not to go ahead with any new works or tenders.
An official said, “In fact, we need to have an order to carry forward spill over works from the last financial year to this financial year.” The official, however, said that works being executed under funding through agencies, including NABARD, would continue.
The official said that a similar exercise is being taken up, more or less, in all departments, and only after April 20 or even after the lockdown ends will departments know what they can take up and how much allocation will come.
