Agriculture fund feared to go waste
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, November 08 2014 : With the concerned authority still unable to utilize a sum of Rs 2.67 crore sanctioned by the Government of India for the kharif season to the National Mission on Agriculture Ex-tension Technology, formerly known as Agriculture Tech-nology Management Agency (ATMA), the same amount is likely to go waste.

Out of the Rs 2.67 crore, Rs 1.72 crore should be utilized in paying monthly salaries to 291 employees appointed for the particular scheme, informed a well placed source.

The remaining amount of Rs 95 lakh should be used for field demonstration and farmers training programmes at district and block levels during the kharif season.

Even though the kharif season is now over, all these programmes could not be held because the requisite amount was not released in time.

Nonetheless, the sum of Rs 1.72 crore required for payment of salaries to employees has been sanctioned.

As most of the programmes could not be conducted, the concerned authority is unable to submit utilization certificates and progress reports about the money sanctioned by the Government of India.

But utilization certificate and progress reports are mandatory for obtaining the second instalment.

The mission could not carry out any its of activity for almost seven months this year.

As such, it is possible that the second instalment may be cut down substantially.

The mission should carry out many activities in all the 60 blocks of Manipur.

To carry out these activities properly at the block level, four staff should be appointed for each block but not more than two staff were appointed.

As such, the Government of India has cut down the block-wise fund allocation even though the Gov- ernment of India instructed the concerned authority to appoint the required number of staff.

As per the rules, salaries of the employees should be borne by the Centre and the State at the ratio of 90:10 .

Non-appointment of staff to the full strength at block level and inordinate delay in the appointment process of staff at the State and district levels although the full strength has been appointed, failure to conduct coaching programmes in time, taking too much time in manpower deployment etc are some major factors for the inability to utilize funds sanctioned for the scheme.

There are hardly five months left before the currently financial year concludes.

As the fund already sanctioned has not been utilized till date, it is not clear how much would fund the Government of India sanction in the second phase, said the source.

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