Chandigarh, March 7, 2015: The working of off-budget institutions in Haryana during the ten-year reign of the previous government, tells the tale of total apathy, norms being hit for a six, equitable development being sacrificed at the altar of skewed focus on select districts, and funds going abegging for want of development projects.
Disclosing this here today, the Haryana Finance Minister, Capt Abhimanyu, said that all this was borne out by the White Paper Part 2 on PSUs brought out by the state government. “Urgent steps are required to effect course correction to improve the working and financial health of ailing PSUs, and set right their vision so that they stop seeing the state through the prism of favouritism on choosing districts”, the Finance Minister said.
The off-budget institutions covered in the Part 2 include HUDA, the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA), the Haryana Rural Development Fund Administration Board (HRDF), the Haryana State Agriculture Marketing Board (HSAMB), the Infrastructural Development Fund, the Haryana Building & Other Construction Workers Welfare Board.
The working of HUDA raises many an eyebrow. Capt Abhimanyu said that between 2004-05 and 2013-14, the Authority paid income tax to the tune of Rs 3,488 crore on its turnover—normally tax is paid on profit--due to non-compliance of accounting standards. EDC to the tune of Rs 11,048 crore as External Development Charges (EDC) on 31.12.2014 is yet to be collected. The amount was overdue and outstanding against the licences granted by the Department of Town & Country Planning in various Urban Estates in Haryana, which was not collected from the licensees. Of course, out of this amount, Rs 2909 crore is under stay order from the courts.
What makes one sit up and ask a few questions, Capt Abhimanyu said, is the fact that during this period, 4,646.58 acres of land was released BY HUDA from the process of acquisition out of which 2,602.58 acres were released in the three districts of Gurgaon, Sonipat and Rohtak. “We shall look into all this for appropriate course correction”, Capt Abhimanyu said.
A close look at the district-wise resources collected by HUDA during this period and the corresponding funds allocated to them shows that some districts received far more funds than generated from there. These include Ambala (Rs 355 crore receipts vs Rs 915 crore expenses), Panchkula (Rs 2,141 vs Rs 2,959 crore); Rewari (Rs 665 cr vs Rs 1341 crore) and Rohtak (Rs 809 vs 2412 crore). Gurgaon received Rs 7,527 crore less than the resources generated. “This indicates skewed focus of some districts at the cost of others which ought to be set right in the coming days”, Capt Abhimanyu said.
The tale of the Haryana Rural Development Fund Administration (HRDF) Board is no different. A study of district-wise collection and allocation of funds shows that select districts got allocations for development of rural infrastructure disproportionately higher than the collections made. While Rohtak was allocated Rs Rs 311 crore against the collection of only Rs 59 crore, Jhajjar got Rs 421 crore against the collection of Rs 22 crore. The inequitable allocation of funds for development bred regional disparities in the creation of rural infrastructure, he said.
The Haryana State Agricultural Marketing Board (HSAMB), set up for making farmers prosperous, progressive and proud by setting up efficient and knowledge based-marketing systems and services, also toed the same line of favouritism in dishing out bounties. While deciding on allocation of funds for repair of link roads and marketing of farm produce etc, it too favoured a few districts, like Rohtak, Bhiwani, Faridabad, Jhajjar and Gurgaon. On the contrary districts like Karnal, Kaithal, Kurukshetra and Sirsa generated for more resources but got less for development. Statistics in the White Paper Part 2 bear there facts out, the FM said.
The tale of Infrastructure Development Fund (IDF) and Haryana Building & other Construction Workers Welfare Board borders on total apathy and lack of application. The IDF financed by Infrastructure Development Charges deposited by colonizers finances development of major infrastructure projects in the state. Although the Fund accumulated receipts to the tune of Rs 2,989 crore between 2006-07 and 2013-14, it spent only Rs 1,321 crore This is evident of how the money was not utilized even as people of the state kept waiting for infrastructure development.
The case Haryana Building & other Construction Workers Welfare Board is not dissimilar. The Board receives one per cent cess on the cost of construction by employers, including public sector undertakings. While the Board received Rs 1,123.31 crore since its inception in 2006, it spent only Rs 49.51 crore on various welfare schemes up to 31.03.2014. Here too, the funds were not utilized either for want of projects or for want of will, Capt Abhimanyu said.
“We must move fast forward to set things right and ensure that funds generated by such bodies are spent on people’s welfare in all parts of the state”, Capt Abhimanyu added. / (SK Vyas, Jalandhar)
Date:
Saturday, March 7, 2015