Centre utilised over 98% of water resources funds in FY25, shows official data

Economic Times

27-04-2025

The Jal Shakti ministry has utilised nearly the entire Central allocation for water resources schemes in the last fiscal, with 98.39 per cent of funds spent by the end of March, according to an official document. The document titled 'Report on Availability and Utilisation of Scheme Funds for 2024-2025 up to March 2025' shows details of expenditure of the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation under both Centrally Sponsored Schemes and Central Sector schemes. Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) are programmes funded mainly by the Central government but implemented by state governments, often requiring a matching contribution from the states. Central Sector schemes are fully funded and implemented by the Central government without any financial participation from the states.
According to the document, against a Central budget estimate of Rs 13,431.48 crore for Centrally Sponsored Schemes, the actual expenditure stood at Rs 13,216.34 crore. In comparison, the Central Sector schemes recorded a slightly lower utilisation rate at 81.79 per cent, with Rs 5,376.73 crore spent out of the Rs 6,573.73 crore allocated. The report notes a significant increase in both fund availability and utilisation compared to the previous financial year. In FY 2023-24, only 49.45 per cent of allocation for Centrally Sponsored Schemes was utilised.
Total cumulative scheme fund utilisation across all sources -- including the State Nodal Accounts (SNA), Consolidated Nodal Agencies (CNA) and direct disbursements -- stood at Rs 15,804.73 crore for Centrally Sponsored Schemes and Rs 5,376.73 crore for Central Sector schemes by the end of March 2025. Officials attribute the marked improvement in fund usage to streamlined release mechanisms and better coordination with states. Funds released to states and CNAs rose from Rs 2,902.73 crore in FY24 to Rs 4,756.48 crore in FY25. The report also noted that balances in SNA and CNA accounts reduced significantly, suggesting quicker on-ground deployment. The SNA balance for Centrally Sponsored Schemes dropped from Rs 2,404.98 crore at the start of the year to Rs 1,347.38 crore by March-end. While the increased utilisation is seen as a positive sign for projects aimed at river development and Ganga rejuvenation, the ministry cautioned that minor discrepancies in data might persist due to delays in sharing by banks and state treasuries. The report showed significant activity under Central Sector schemes as well. Of the Rs 6,573.73 crore allocated to Central Sector schemes for 2024- 25, around Rs 5,376.73 crore had been spent by March-end, translating to a utilisation rate of 81.79 per cent. While this marks a slight dip compared to Centrally Sponsored Schemes, it still reflects a considerable level of deployment. The total funds available for Centrally Sponsored Schemes in 2024- 25 -- including opening balances, fresh releases and state shares -- stood at Rs 19,984.59 crore, up from Rs 11,182.09 crore in the previous financial year. Out of this, Rs 15,804.73 crore had been utilised by March, suggesting that most states made active use of their allocations. The estimated Central share in this expenditure was Rs 13,216.34 crore. In the case of Central Sector schemes, total funds available were Rs 5,944.31 crore, with Rs 5,376.73 crore utilised by the end of the financial year. The report also highlights that the state governments released Rs 5,992.46 crore to their SNA accounts by March 2025 -- an increase from Rs 4,822.25 crore in the previous year. This indicates improved coordination between the Centre and the states in releasing and deploying funds. The sharp increase in actual expenditure under Centrally Sponsored Schemes -- from Rs 10,059.15 crore in FY24 to Rs 15,804.73 crore in FY25 -- also points to a ramping up of implementation.
The data also showed a negative expenditure of Rs 849.06 crore under Centrally Sponsored Schemes for a certain month in FY24, which officials say might be due to reconciliations or data updates. However, by March 2025, actual spending had caught up substantially. The steady drop in balances in the State Nodal Agency accounts, from Rs 2,404.98 crore to Rs 1,347.38 crore for Centrally Sponsored Schemes and from Rs 1,293.50 crore to Rs 608.63 crore for Central Sector schemes, further supports the notion that funds were moved from the treasury to implementation on the ground more swiftly than before.