The Controller General of Accounts (CGA) will soon monitor the expenditure on the flagship programmes of Central Ministries on a 24x7 basis.
The CGA has successfully completed pilot projects in four States so far.
Such a monitoring initiative, named Central Plan Scheme Monitoring System (CPSMS), could bring the Government an approximate benefit of Rs 35,400 crore by cutting down ‘idle' time for funds and speedier settlements through e-payments, etc.
Better tracking
Besides this, such a system will enhance transparency and accountability in public expenditure. The Government is expected to formally launch this programme soon. A senior Government official told
The Finance Minister, in his Budget speech, had said that the CPSMS would be expanded to facilitate better tracking and utilisation of funds released by the Central Government.
The Finance Ministry has mandated the implementation of the CPSMS under 10 major schemes in all States at all levels. States such as Odisha, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala have expressed a desire to implement the system at the earliest.
According to the detailed project report prepared by KPMG, over Rs 1,600 crore will be spent on this scheme over a period of five years. The scheme aims to reduce idle funds to improve cash management of the Central Government. This will facilitate payments due to beneficiaries in a timely manner through direct credit.
Component-wise
The scheme will capture component-wise expenditure to improve quality of expenditure. The scheme will also monitor flow of funds to the lowest level of implementation. This scheme is based on software installed on a portal of the CGA. The pilot project was conducted in Bihar, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
The pilot project includes flagship programmes such as Rural Employment Guarantee Programme, National Rural Health Mission, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan and Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana.
Disclosing the result of the pilot project, an official said that a total of 4.73 lakh agencies had registered on the scheme's portal.
Bank account details are available for these agencies on a real-time basis. State-level account heads in Maharashtra and Bihar were also mapped with Central schemes. Details of fund use through State treasury routes are also available.