In a first, govt sets timelines in budget to fix accountability

SEVERAL PROJECTS SUCH AS INSTALLING WIFI HUBS, HOWEVER, HAVE BEEN LEFT OUT OF THE TIMELINE LIST

NEW DELHI: For the first time, the Delhi government has given a timeline for the completion of important projects and schemes in its Budget.

Presenting the Budget 2018-19 on Thursday, finance minister Manish Sisodia set deadlines for the completion of important projects such as the installation of CCTV cameras in government schools, procurement of DTC buses, setting up of sewage treatment plants and construction of additional 530 mohalla clinics.

In many projects, dates for the floating of tenders and issuing of work orders have also been highlighted in detail, which will help track progress at each step.

Sample this—the government has claimed that it will purchase 1,000 Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses, out of which the initial 40 buses will arrive as early as November 20, this year.

However, similar claims were made in the 2017-18 budget. It was said that 1,000 DTC buses will be added without giving a delivery date, but not a single bus was purchased.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said that these deadlines were set to make the government accountable for the announcements it was making in the Budget.

“We wanted to set deadlines so that there is greater transparency and so that we can hold ourselves and the officials answerable for their work,” Kejriwal said.

Debolina Kundu, associate professor at the National Institute of Urban Affairs at the National Institute of Urban Affairs, said that a self-monitoring mechanism would help improve the performance of the government. “Initially there might be teething problems but that should not be a deterrent. The state of functioning will improve,” she said.