‘Govt’s Key Reforms Brought Its Financial Structure At Par With Any Progressive System Across Country’

SRINAGAR: “Key reforms introduced by the Jammu and Kashmir government in its financial structure envisaging added transparency and accountability have brought UT’s fiscal system at par with any other progressive arrangement across the country”.

A departmental official, while elaborating on the subject, maintained that implementation of transformative reforms such as Budget Estimation and Allocation Monitoring System (BEAMS), online submission of bills through J&K PaySys, mandatory administrative approvals, technical sanctions and e-tendering, digital payments, GFR, GeM and related measures have greatly helped the financial systems in J&K to be at par with any other developing financial system in the country.

Publication of pictorial ecompendiums related to projects completed under Back to Village, District Capex, UT Capex and JKIDFC broadly reflects government’s commitment towards engaging with the citizens. This is the first time in the Union Territory of J&K that people are able to oversee works being executed in their areas on a real time basis. During 2020-21, more than 18,000 works were available on the EMPOWERMENT portal for the first time in J&K for public viewing thus bringing in real grass root empowerment.

The sincere initiative of Finance Department to institutionalize prudence in financial management in J&K has truly transformed the Union Territory. The essence of reforms such as online processing of bills through PaySys, streamlining of GST, e-stamping, e-GRAS, e-auction of liquor licences for retail outlets, digital payments, implementation of GeM, pathbreaking reforms in J&K Bank, publication of important manuals relating to Budget and Audit, Back to Village and My Town My Pride initiatives besides 100% physical verification of works which was a most vital program to ensure implementation of projects without cost and time over-runs.

“Promoting good governance in the financial management has been one of the core objectives of the government. The financial system in J&K is one of the most transparent systems anywhere and is among the key changes that have taken roots in the Union Territory”, the official asserted.

Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, during a meeting with the Finance Department highlighted major reforms taken up by the J&K government to bring greater transparency in the financial system making it more robust and result oriented.

Sinha said that unprecedented levels of transparency have been achieved through EMPOWERMENT

(Enabling Monitoring and Public Overview of Works being Executed and Resources for Meaningful Transparency), which is a web portal that hosts all the works being executed in the UT and allows public oversight over all works under execution.

"Our government believes in the mantra of four Ps-Peace, Progress, Prosperity and Peoplefirst, for holistic development of Jammu and Kashmir making the UT Atmanirbhar in all respects'' LG maintained.

Union Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, during her recent visit to J&K said the abrogation of Article 370 brought impetus in financial activities, transparency in administration and growth in UT’s economy.

“In the past two years, work that has happened in J&K is absolutely stunning. The government procurement, recruitment, government spending of its resources, taxation or deployment of resources, whatever it be, they are now available online 24X7 with all transparency,” she asserted. So in terms of bringing transparency in governance, in terms of being transparent itself tells you that they are accountable for every one rupee which is deployed on ground, she added.

“This kind of approach to governance was absolutely unheard of in J&K and for that I would honestly thank the abrogation of (Article) 370. And quickly, please have a look all of you, within the last two years, after the abrogation, the entire administration is now visible for every citizen of J&K to see what’s going on here. It cannot be a few families’ oligopoly. Money of the people should go to the people and it should be in a transparent process. That is what has been achieved in J&K and I’m very happy to have learnt about it", Nirmala Sitharaman maintained.