Centre to Nagaland : No NSFM funds without fund-use certificate

Dimapur, May 28 : The Union Ministry of Finance has said that no funds would be released for Nagaland until the state confirms its state-share for the National Food Security Mission (NFSM) besides submitting the Utilization Certificate and physical and financial final progress report under said mission for 2015-2016.

The centre has requested confirmation of the release / contribution of ‘state-share during 2015-16 as also final physical and financial progress report of 2015-16 for the combined central and state-share (indicating utilization of central and state fund if the center is to release the first installment of grants-in-aid to Nagaland under NFSM for 2016-17.

The Under Secretary to the Government of India for the Ministry of Agriculture issued a letter two days ago, on May 26, addressed to the mission director of the NFSM, under Nagaland’s department of Agriculture. A copy of the official communiqué, appended by Under Secretary Akhilesh Kumar, was obtained by this daily on Saturday.
The letter ascribed “Submission of Utilization Certificate and Physical & financial Final Progress Report as well as release of State share of Nagaland under NFSM during 2015-16” as its text head.

The text to the department read: “Please refer to this Department’s letter No, 20-1/2012-NFSM (CA-V) dated 12.11.2015 and your letter No. AGR/NFSM-5/2015-16 dated 10th May, 2016 on the subject mentioned above and to state that Nagaland has fully utilized Rs. 963.74 lakhs of Central share during 2015-16 under the funding pattern of 90:10 between Central and State. However, information regarding release of State share by Nagaland under NFSM during 2015-16 is awaited.”

In said regard, the Ministry of Finance, department of Expenditure “states that ministry / department shall not transfer funds under Plan Schemes in relaxation of conditions attached to such transfer (such as matching funding).”

The Agriculture ministry has requested said department to “confirm the release / contribution of state-share during 2015-16 as also final physical and financial progress report of 2015-16 for the conbined (sic) Central & State share (indicating utilization of Central & State fund seperately) [sic] and furnish the same to this department at earliest in order to facilitate release of 1st instalment (sic) of grants-in-aid to Nagaland under NFSM during 2016-17.”

The National Food Security Mission is a central scheme of the government of India that was launched in 2007 for 5 years to increase production and productivity of wheat, rice and pulses on a sustainable basis to ensure food security of the country.

The aim of the mission envisages to ‘bridge the yield gap’ in respect of said crops through dissemination of improved technologies and farm management practices.