CM Pushkar Singh Dhami, during a review meeting of the Finance Department at the Secretariat on Saturday, directed the officials that all the departments should spend at least 80 per cent of their respective budgets by the month of December. He said that digital system should be implemented for regular monitoring of budget expenditure so that effective implementation of schemes can be ensured. The Chief Minister stressed the need to work on medium and long term strategies to strengthen the economic condition of the state.
CM Pushkar Singh Dhami informed that the growth rate of the State has been consistently more than 13% in the last three years, which is a positive sign towards inclusive growth of the State. He stressed on identifying and creating new resources and said that regular review of budget allocation and expenditure at the Secretary level will be done by the Chief Secretary every month and the Chief Minister himself every three months.
CM Pushkar Singh Dhami directed to take concrete steps to increase GST collection, emphasizing on innovation and use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for revenue augmentation. In Centrally Sponsored Schemes, priority was given to schemes with Central and State contribution ratio of 90:10 and 70:30.
He also directed the Planning and Finance Department to ensure timely and proper utilization of the budget in coordination with other departments. CM Pushkar Singh Dhami said that a well-structured plan should be made keeping in mind the goal of a strong economy by 2050 golden jubilee of the state.
CM Pushkar Singh Dhami asked to evaluate the social and economic impact of the subsidy regime and ensure that only eligible persons get the benefit. He also stressed the need to achieve the budget targets by regularly reviewing the major sources of revenue such as state taxes, forest, energy and water taxes.
It was informed in the meeting that the capital expenditure of the state in the current financial year has been more than Rs 11,000 crore and the mining revenue has registered an increase of about Rs 400 crore. In the financial year 2024-25, so far 90% of the total budget expenditure has been spent.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Commissioner Varinder Kumar Sharma, ADC (D) Sandeep Kumar, MC Councillor Mamta Ashu, Civil Surgeon Dr Sukhjeevan Kakkar, District Immunisation Officer Dr Kiran Gill, CICU President Upkar Singh Ahuja, General Secretary Pankaj Sharma, Dr SB Pandhi, besides several others.