Shimla
Preparations for the next financial year’s budget of the Himachal government have intensified. Its outline will be decided to a large extent by the end of this month. Principal Secretary Finance Devesh Kumar was out of the state, but he returned on Monday, and with his return, a series of meetings of the Finance Department have begun. The Chief Minister had a meeting with the Principal Secretary of Finance on Monday, after which he held a meeting with the officials on Tuesday and took stock of the work done so far. The government has also sought opinions from the people for its next budget, whose suggestions have also started coming. These suggestions will come till March 31, after which they will be scrutinized. Currently, the officials of the Finance Department are looking at how to increase the budget for next year. In the FRBM report presented by the Finance Department in the Assembly, it was clearly stated that the state could not get water cess, while some other efforts were also made, which could not be fruitful.
In such a situation, its effect will be seen in the budget. However, the steps to prepare the budget for the financial year 2025-26 have intensified. Because the CM has to go on a winter stay from January 15, a lot will be done here regarding the budget before that. The CM has given instructions for this, and before the stay, he will hold a meeting with the Finance Department in this regard. The Finance Department has also received the data of this budget from all the departments, and the blueprint of what their plans are for the next year has also been handed over to them. Based on this, the Finance Department has started its work. Discussions have started about how much budget was sanctioned to which department last time, what their achievements have been, and which new schemes they want to include in the new budget. This will be the third budget of the Sukhu government. The Chief Minister has said that a glimpse of how to make Himachal self-reliant and the richest state of the country will be seen in the budget. Brainstorming is being done on improving the administration, reducing expenses, and raising revenue. (HDM)
Meetings will be held throughout the month.
The round of meetings of the departments will last for a month. The draft related to the budget demands of these departments is being continuously sent to the Finance Department by the Planning Department. Finance Department Secretary Abhishek Jain is discussing the budget with the officials. The Finance Department has also sought suggestions from the people for the new year’s budget.
These meetings will be held in February.
On one hand, the budget is being prepared; on the other hand, meetings of MLA priority schemes will be held on February 3 and 4. To a large extent, it will be clear in which direction the next budget of the government will move. The Planning Department is also busy in its preparations regarding the size of the scheme.
Publication is not necessary in tenders less than one lakh rupees.
Shimla—PWD has made a big change in the tender process of the central government schemes. Tenders up to one lakh rupees in other schemes of the Center, including Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, NABARD CRF, and National Highway, will no longer be published in newspapers. The department will upload these tenders on its website. In this regard, PWD Secretary Dr. Abhishek Jain has issued a notification. This change has been fixed with five conditions. In this, the XEN will have to issue a certificate regarding starting the work in an emergency situation. A valid reason will have to be proved in favor of the public. The tender notice will have to be uploaded on the PWD website. For this, it will have to be published on the notice board of the XEN and assistant engineer. The NIT register will have to be corrected, and it will be necessary to give seven days’ time after the notice. At the same time, it will be mandatory to publish tenders of more than one lakh in one national and one local newspaper in addition to the department’s website. The tender process will be completed within seven days after the publication of the tender.
