Srinagar, Mar 24: The Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said that the allocation and distribution of the Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) Budget is already a streamlined process, with necessary mechanisms in place to ensure efficiency and transparency.
In a reply to a question tabled by MLA Javid Hassan Beig in the Assembly, the Chief Minister said that fund allocation—whether for revenue or capital expenditure—falls under the Finance Department as per statutory norms and business rules.
The Chief Minister emphasized that the allocation of funds to all departments is managed through the Budget Estimation Allocation & Monitoring System (BEAMS), which operates in real-time, increasing efficiency, accountability, and effective monitoring.
The Chief Minister said that since the Finance Department took over CAPEX budget management in 2019-20, multiple IT-enabled platforms such as BEAMS, PAYSYS (Payment System), PROOF (Photographic Record of On-site Facility), and Treasury Net have been introduced to track the flow of resources and expenditures in real time. These systems, according to the government, have significantly improved transparency and accountability in public expenditure.
To address public concerns, the Chief Minister highlighted the EMPOWERMENT and Janbhagidari portals, which allow citizens to track the release of funds and monitor ongoing projects in their respective areas. “This is the first-of-its-kind system that enables the public to oversee works being executed and ensures real-time progress tracking, making it a powerful tool for public empowerment,” he said.
Regarding the concern that fund disbursement often happens in the third or last quarter of the financial year, the Chief Minister clarified that the CAPEX ceiling is conveyed to all administrative departments in April each financial year. Once departments upload their work plans on the BEAMS portal, funds are released after necessary examination and as per financial propriety norms.
On the issue of delays in disbursing General Provident Fund (GPF) payments, the Chief Minister said that Rs 5,476 crore has already been paid under GPF for the financial year 2024-25. It assured that employees’ GPF claims are being cleared regularly, depending on resource availability.
