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Saturday 10 May 2014

Unused Govt Funds Locked up in Bank as FDs Worry Finance Dept

V V Balakrishna - HYDERABAD
Published: 07th May 2014 08:42 AM
Last Updated: 07th May 2014 08:43 AM


With the appointed date (June 2) for the bifurcation of the state fast  approaching, the finance department is worried about the unspent amounts sanctioned to various departments which have been kept in fixed deposits (FDs) in various banks.
The assets and liabilities have to apportioned between the two successor states of Residuary AP and Telangana  before June 2.
The finance department’s worry is mainly due to the lack of information from some officers about the small amounts kept in banks as FDs, making the apportionment of funds a major task. The state government has ordered all the drawing and disbursing officers to remit the undisbursed amounts in their accounts, if any, to their respective departmental receipt head of account and furnish NIL balance reports to the concerned officer.
Despite this, it has come to the notice of the government that certain departments are keeping unutilised funds of several schemes in banks as fixed deposits without obtaining prior permission from the government.
In respect of land acquisition cases, some of the special deputy collectors (Land Acquisition)/revenue divisional officers are keeping huge amounts with banks as FDs for a long period, pending settlement of cases. As per the Treasury Code Volume-1, no government servant can deposit in a bank  money withdrawn from the government account. But, in some cases, the officers even deposited the money in their personal accounts too.
Ahead of division of the state, the state government on Tuesday ordered the closure of all the bank/fixed deposit accounts being operated by the government departments which had been opened without special permission from the government and credit the proceeds into respective departmental receipt head of account immediately. This had to be done before May 15, chief secretary PK Mohanty directed the officers concerned on Tuesday.
The chief secretary also ordered the district collectors to ensure that deposit  amounts kept by the special deputy collectors, land acquisition/ revenue divisional officers were closed and the amounts credited to the government account latest by May 15.
The officers should also furnish the compliance report to the government on a priority basis.
The finance department officials are clueless as how much amount is in bank fixed deposits in the state.

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