Major relief for govt depts, decks cleared for payment of Rs 1,233-cr pending bills

In a major relief to several state government departments, the Finance Department (FD) has announced that it will clear pending bills amounting to over Rs 1,233 crore in the first quarter of the current financial year. These bills were submitted online towards the end of the previous financial year (2024-25).

Quick recap

– Rs 1,233 crore worth pending bills to be cleared in Q1 of the current fiscal

– No need to recreate bills; physical copies to be submitted to treasuries

– Deadline extended; bills valid until June 30 now

– Top claimants: Revenue and Fire Services (Rs 1,174.69 crore), Health (Rs 45 crore)

The Additional Chief Secretary (Finance) has communicated to Administrative Secretaries and Deputy Commissioners that there is no need for the Drawing and Disbursing Officers (DDOs) to prepare these bills afresh. “As these bills were submitted online, the DDOs will only be required to submit physical copies in their respective treasuries,” the communication said. The validity of these bills has now been extended to June 30.

Out of total Rs 1,233.77 crore in pending bills, the lion’s share — Rs 1,174.69 crore — belongs to the Revenue and Disaster Management and Fire Services Department. The Health Department follows with pending bills worth Rs 45 crore.

Other departments with significant pending bills include Women and Child Development (Rs 10.64 crore), New and Renewable Energy Department (Rs 1.65 crore), Transport Department (Rs 1.03 crore), Public Health Engineering Department (Rs 61 lakh), and the Office of the Divisional Commissioner, Hisar (Rs 15 lakh).

It is a common practice for departments to spend allocations from their budgets in March, the last month of the financial year. While the Finance Department clears many of these bills, some often remain pending due to the rush of submissions at the fiscal year-end.

This latest move is expected to ease administrative functioning and improve financial planning for the current fiscal.

Haryana Tribune