Jammu, Dec 12 (PTI) To streamline revenue and capital expenditure, the Jammu and Kashmir Finance department on Saturday directed all the drawing and disbursing officers (DDOs) and treasury officers to observe certain guidelines while raising invoices or passing bills for payment.

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For timely delivery of goods and services, it has been directed to fix responsibility in case of delay, an official spokesman said.

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He said it has been instructed that if delay is attributable to supplier or contractor penalty as stipulated in contract document should be levied and relaxation of these conditions shall be made only with the approval of the next higher authority.

"Further, it has been ordered that if delays are due to concerned executing agencies, these matters shall be brought to the notice of the Administrative Department for suitable corrective action against the concerned," the spokesman said.

He said the Treasury Officers have also been asked to point out cases of exceptional delays by respective DDOs without adequate reasons and submit Monthly Delay Reports (MDRs) to the Finance department.

As a breather to contractors, the spokesman said it has been said in the order to release payments to the contractors of the executed works within the time frame laid down as per contract.

"It has also been directed that the security deposit of contractors shall remain withheld for defect liability period and shall be released only after satisfactory completion of work and report by the concerned authority," he said.

In order to see for the mismatch in the amount of work done on ground and in work order the Treasury Officers have been ordered to check Measurement Books duly signed by the concerned executing agency while preferring their invoices to the treasuries, the spokesman said.

He said it has also been instructed that no bill beyond the allotted cost shall be entertained in the treasuries.

“No deviation in the scope of work after the work has been tendered,” he said, adding it has been ordered that bills on account of rent shall only be entertained in the treasury when accompanied by relevant Rent Assessment Order issued by the competent authority.

To make the fund transfer to beneficiaries of government schemes exclusively through DBT, he said it has been impressed that no beneficiary related bills shall be entertained by the treasury officer unless schemes are registered on the PFMS portal with effect from February 2021.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)