In a significant decision, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Thursday enhanced the financial powers of the heads of departments and administrative secretaries to accelerate the pace of development.
The CM said that the move will not only accelerate good governance but also expedite the implementation of various government schemes, ensuring their timely completion.
According to the CM, administrative secretaries will now be able to directly procure all IT-related items and undertake repairs, rentals, and maintenance, as well as purchase equipment and other related items, without any procedural delays.
Gupta emphasised that the Delhi government draws inspiration from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision, which stresses the timely completion of all infrastructure projects to ensure citizens do not face delays in accessing essential services.
The CM highlighted that this is the first revision of financial powers in almost six years, with the last amendment made on August 7, 2019.
Gupta noted that in recent years, effective changes in the administrative and financial systems, along with technological progress, rising costs due to inflation, and the introduction of new welfare-oriented schemes, have significantly impacted the execution of projects.
According to Gupta, in a bid to build a “Developed Delhi,” and ensure that the benefits of government schemes reach people swiftly, the government’s budget for the year has been increased to Rs 1 lakh crore from Rs 54,800 crore at the time of the last revision.
She said the decision has also been taken to make optimum use of the allocated budget, speed up execution of projects, and ensure their timely completion.
The CM informed that in special cases, administrative secretaries have been granted full financial powers, including the authority to appoint individual consultants, consultancies, professionals, Project Management Units (PMUs), and other specialists.
Expressing confidence in the move, the CM said that the change has been made to protect public trust and accelerate the pace of development.