Chief minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday directed government departments to expedite work for completion of projects and strive for maximum allocation under incentive based components.
The CM chaired a high-level meeting to review the progress of works and projects taken up under the Scheme for Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI), taking stock of financial and physical performance, funds utilisation and plans for the coming financial years. He reviewed progress across key sectors, including public works, jal shakti, youth services and sports, power development, and housing and urban development. He called for special focus to be given to disaster management component, aimed at strengthening disaster mitigation and resilience, besides restoring infrastructure damaged in natural disasters. The meeting was attended by deputy CM Surinder Kumar Choudhary; ministers Ali Mohammad Sagar, Javed Rana, Javid Dar, Mir Saifullah and Shamim Firdous; acting chief secretary Shailendra Kumar; additional chief secretary to the CM Dheeraj Gupta; administrative secretaries, heads of departments, senior officers of the finance department and other concerned officers. Emphasising financial discipline and transparency, the CM directed strict compliance with public financial management system (PFMS) uploads and timely submission of action plans on BEAMS. He also called for the closure of all single nodal agency (SNA) bank accounts relating to centrally sponsored schemes. In view of the forthcoming visit of the Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) to assess damages, departments were asked to finalise comprehensive, sector-wise damage assessment reports to facilitate the assessment process.
The review covered the physical and financial progress of projects undertaken during fiscal year 2025-26, availability of funds and expenditure targets for FY 2026-27, besides steps taken for effective implementation of projects during FY 2027-28. During the meeting, Omar directed expediting SASCI Part-I works and ensuring full utilisation of approved funds by March 2027 to qualify for the second instalment. He stressed strict adherence to revised deadlines for completion of works under the SASCI 2025-26 disaster management component and directed departments to achieve the prescribed financial targets within the stipulated period.
The CM directed all departments to identify and prepare a robust shelf of encumbrance-free projects by March 2027 to facilitate timely tendering and smooth execution during FY 2027-28. Reviewing the performance for FY 2025-26, the meeting was informed that against an overall allocation of ₹ 5,166.46 crore, comprising untied funds, Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) shares, incentive-based allocations and disaster management components, an expenditure of ₹ 3,367.64 crore had been incurred. He stressed advance planning and close inter-departmental coordination to ensure that the next year’s SASCI plan is finalised well in time.
