April 25 deadline to finish works using unspent LAD funds

The government on Tuesday set a deadline of April 25, 2018, for deputy commissioners to finish works under a new scheme to utilize unspent Local Area Development (LAD) funds amounting to Rs 405 crore.

Last week, Minister for Planning M R Seetharam announced that the government had identified unspent LAD funds of Rs 405 crore from 2002 to 2013, lying idle in the accounts of the deputy commissioners. Since these are lapsed funds over which legislators can no longer stake a claim, the government has drawn up a new scheme - Sidda Sarkarada Nade Sevegala Kade - to spend them.

Of the Rs 405 crore, the Education Department has been given Rs 243 crore for construction or repair of 2,719 classrooms in government schools; Rs 122 crore for the Health Department to provide basic infrastructure in 309 government hospitals; Rs 40 crore to the Women and Child development department to construct 346 anganwadis.

"Officials have been directed to float short-term tenders before January 8, open bids on January 22 and issue work orders before January 26. They have been asked to upload photographs of works in progress every 15 days," Seetharam told reporters.

The Uttara Kannada district has received the highest allocation (Rs 35 crore), followed by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's home district of Mysuru (Rs 27.90 crore), Tumakuru (Rs 27.86 crore) and Kalaburgi (Rs 25.19 crore).