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Kohima, March 18: Nagaland’s revenue surplus declined, its fiscal deficit increased and primary surplus turned into primary deficit in 2011-12, according to the Comptroller and Auditor General of India report for the fiscal.
The report says the state’s revenue surplus had declined by Rs 101.43 crore while the fiscal deficit had increased by Rs 226.38 crore and the primary surplus had turned into primary deficit by a margin of Rs 203.32 crore in 2011-12 compared to the previous year.
The CAG said during 2011-12, 90 per cent of the total revenue came from the Centre as central transfers and grand-in-aids. The state achieved the total revenue collection targets fixed by the 13th Finance Commission during the fiscal.
The report, which was tabled in the Assembly today by chief minister Neiphiu Rio, who also holds the finance portfolio, said during 2011-12, non-plan revenue expenditure was Rs 1,458.47 crore more than the Finance Commission’s normative assessment. The expenditure on salary was 59.01 per cent of revenue expenditure, net of interest payment and pension and 40.89 per cent of revenue receipts during the year.
The report says the state government should have adequate incremental non-debt receipts to cover the incremental interest liabilities and incremental primary expenditure. It says the debt sustainability can be significantly facilitated if the incremental non-debt receipts could meet the incremental interest burden and the incremental expenditure.
The report says there were 138 incomplete projects at an estimated cost of Rs 1,499.47 crore and actual expenditure incurred was Rs 686.29 crore as of March 2012, pertaining to 18 departments, in the fiscal.
Of the 138 incomplete projects, 57 projects, estimated at Rs 654.02 crore and actual expenditure of Rs 326.31 crore, were due to be completed by March 2012 but remained incomplete as of October 2012.
The date of completion of the remaining 81 projects could not be furnished by the departments and, therefore, it could not be ascertained in audit as to whether the projects were incomplete or were in progress. Any delay in completion of works invites the risk of escalation in the cost of the works, it adds.
The CAG said the actual cost overrun would be available on closure of the claims of the construction agencies after completion. Besides, because of delay in completion of the projects, the intended benefits did not reach the beneficiaries in the state, it added.
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