The shortfall in expenditure on the Central Plan schemes in 1971 was about Rs. 179 crores as compared to a Budget provision of Rs. 1195 crores. We have given considerable thought to this question and a detailed study was undertaken to identify reasons for the shortfall. The Prime Minister herself had convened a meeting of all the Secretaries to Government and urged that a continuous review should be taken of various steps with a view to ensure their speedy implementation and various steps four of which I would like to detail here, have been taken.
(1) Task forces have been organized in the administrative Ministries to review periodically both the physical and financial performance of Plan schemes and take steps to remove such bottle-necks as may come to light in order that the progress of schemes may not suffer;
(2) Steps are being taken to modify the existing procedures for scrutiny and sanctioning of schemes with a view to expedite their clearance;
(3) Likewise steps for expeditious submission of monthly statement of accounts by the accounting officers and;
(4) The scrutiny of expenditure statements in the Ministry of Finance and drawing the attention of administrative Ministries wherever significant shortfalls can be visualised so that they would take remedial measures in time to avoid the shortfall.
So, we have identified the problems and these specific steps have been taken.
Then, naturally, some Members did make a mention of one thing and that is, what new initiatives we have taken. I tried to re-read my Speech again. I thought I should point out the new initiatives we have taken so as to remind the members, at this stage, that this Budget has certainly taken many new important initiatives which got wide social and economic implications. As far as I tried to search for those initiatives, I could find 11 of them, if the Hon. Members go through my Budget Speech probably, they may find more, I have put them as under :
(1) To put down undervaluation of properties, the Government will take powers to acquire properties at prices that correspond to what is recorded in saledeeds.
(2) To discourage benami holdings of property, it has been decided that if at the time of assessment a person fails to declare income from a piece of property or the property itself so as to evade payment of income and wealth taxes, he will be debarred from enforcing his claim to such property in a court of law.