Tribal welfare department in hurry to spend 832cr

Visakhapatnam: Several government departments have been facing tough times for the release of funds from the government, but there is no such problem in the Tribal Welfare department.

Though substantial amounts were sanctioned in the budget, the Tribal Welfare department is not able to utilise the funds to the optimum level against the sanctioned budget of Rs.2,129 crore. According to the information, the department has to utilise Rs.832 crore funds for various works including, development works of schools, hospitals, roads, and other civil infrastructure works before ending this financial year.

Despite facing a severe financial crisis, state government has been giving priority for the welfare of the tribal people and allocated Rs.2,129 in the 2018-19 budget for various development works.  

However, the Tribal Welfare department so far utilised Rs.1,297 crore during the last nine months in the present fiscal. Surprisingly some of the works and schemes listed out in the utilised funds are still under various stages and some works not even started.

Minister for Tribal Welfare K Sravan Kumar has alerted the Project Officers of ITDAs and other key officials in the department to take various works with the rest of the allocated funds.

The officials maintain that it is not lapses of the administration. Due to  various reasons including Maoist threat and anti-climate conditions the works are not initiated in some of the remote areas, they said. ``According to the previous year works and plans, the government will allocate funds to any department. It is true that some of the ITDAs not utilising the funds.

The minister directed the Project Officers of the ITDA to look into the issue and prepare action plans to take up   development works at schools, hospitals and also road works’’ one of the senior officials of the Tribal Welfare told The Hans India.