Prior approval must for release of funds, warns Finance dept

Kolkata: The state Finance department has issued a warning to various departments against sanctioning of funds without prior approval of the department.

According to sources in the state government, some government departments were found to be spending money without getting clearance from the Finance department.

Furthermore, according to an official in the state Finance department, some departments are sending files to the Finance department for post-facto administrative approval and revised administrative approval. The Finance department does not, however, issue any post-facto approval. It is mandatory to take an approval before going ahead with any project. As per the official, post-facto approval means giving approval either after the project has begun or has been completed.

As the Finance department has no provision of post-facto approval, it clearly mentioned that funds would not be sanctioned for the projects which were taken up without prior approval from the department. Various departments have to get the projects examined in order to get funds to execute the projects.

A notification in this regard has also been issued by the Finance department. It reads: "In respect of works/schemes/ projects/procurements, where approval concurrence of the Finance department or other appropriate authority, as per existing delegation of power, is required but the same has not been taken, no payment should be released till the matter is examined by the finance department."

It may be mentioned here that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee earlier warned various departments against submitting half-done project reports of various schemes to the Finance department. Sometimes the projects get stalled only because the implementing authorities do not take prior permission from the Finance department.