Bihar to utilize CMRDS Funds by June this year

Bihar government plans to utilize major chunk of the Rs 325 crore allocated to it in 2011-12 under Chief Minister Regional Development Scheme (CMRDS) by May-June this year, Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi said today. Attributing the delay in utilization of CMRDS funds to lack of administrative infrastructure, he said the state government has now put in place a regional engineering organization for the purpose. Talking to reporters after presiding over a meeting of the Patna district selection committee under CMRDS to shortlist schemes for execution, Modi said it was not necessary that development funds allocated in a financial year should not be utilized over the next fiscal year. There were no guidelines for utilization of development funds in the same financial year and as such these funds did not lapse at all, Modi said adding funds under MPLAD, SSA, PMGSY, IAY and NRHM can be utilized over two years after allotment. In case of IAY, NRHM and SSA, the state government was likely to receive 60 per cent amount under these schemes by March this year and the guideline clearly specified that these funds could be used over the next year, Modi said. CMRDS was launched by the state government last year after scrapping MLA/MLC Local Area Development Fund to undertake development works like construction of panchayat bhawans, storage, community buildings, bazar/haat and lane/alley. The legilators had, however, been given due importance under the scheme and their recommendation for development works in their areas given consideration, Modi said. He said Rs 18.72 crore have been sanctioned for development works in Patna district under CMRDS and the development needs of the SC/ST has been taken into account before obtaining recommendation of the area’s legislators ahead of sanction of development works.