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Indian Express
4 days ago
- Business
- Indian Express
3rd-party evaluation must for Central schemes to go on beyond March 2026
As the government prepares to prioritise its schemes for the 16th Finance Cycle starting on April 1st next year, the Ministry of Finance has told all ministries and departments that no Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) or Central Sector Scheme (CS) will be considered for continuation beyond March 31st, 2026, unless a third-party evaluation of the scheme is carried out. This was conveyed to all Secretaries of the Government of India and Financial Advisors (FAs) during a meeting chaired by Cabinet Secretary TV Somanathan on Thursday. The meeting, which was attended by Secretaries of Government of India and Financial Advisors, discussed the appraisal and approval process of CSS and CS for the 16th Finance Commission cycle (2026-31). Before the meeting, the Department of Expenditure had circulated to the ministries 'a note on the points to be discussed in the meeting and context'. 'No Scheme (CSS and CSs) which is to continue over the next FC cycle will be taken up for appraisal unless a Third Party evaluation of the scheme is conducted. The Evaluation Report must demonstrate positive 'outcomes' as well as the need for continuing the scheme in view of its mandate and performance,' reads the note. According to sources, NITI Aayog, the government's top think tank, is currently conducting evaluation of the CSSs. This exercise is to be completed shortly and the draft reports will be shared with the respective ministries and departments, the sources said. NITI Aayog officials present in the meeting, made a PowerPoint presentation on the ongoing evaluation studies. The sources say that ministries and departments have been asked to conduct evaluation studies of their schemes by the end of July this year and get approval for continuation of schemes beyond March 31, 2026 from the Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC) before the start of the budget making process. The Ministries and Departments have been informed that in the 16th Finance Commission cycle (2026-31), they will receive allocation 5.5 times their average actual annual expenditure during the last five fiscal years (2021-22-2025-26). During the meeting, several ministries are learnt to have sought higher allocation for their programs. For instance, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare sought additional funding for vaccinations, it is learnt. When officials from several ministries made demands for higher allocation in the next Finance Commission cycle, the Cabinet Secretary is learnt to have made a remark that they should propose realistic outlays and not 'inflated' figures while seeking outlay for the next five years. In November 2023, the government approved the constitution of the 16th Finance Commission. It is expected to make its report available by October 31, 2025. The recommendations of the 16th Finance Commission will be for a period of five years commencing on the 1st day of April, 2026. Harikishan Sharma, Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express' National Bureau, specializes in reporting on governance, policy, and data. He covers the Prime Minister's Office and pivotal central ministries, such as the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare, Ministry of Cooperation, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Ministry of Rural Development, and Ministry of Jal Shakti. His work primarily revolves around reporting and policy analysis. In addition to this, he authors a weekly column titled "STATE-ISTICALLY SPEAKING," which is prominently featured on The Indian Express website. In this column, he immerses readers in narratives deeply rooted in socio-economic, political, and electoral data, providing insightful perspectives on these critical aspects of governance and society. ... Read More
Time of India
5 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Govt kickstarts exercise for 5-yearly approval of CSSs, CSs
The Finance Ministry on Thursday said the government has kickstarted an elaborate exercise for five yearly appraisals and approval of centrally sponsored schemes and central sector schemes to be made effective from April 1, 2026. The Department of Expenditure under the Ministry of Finance on Thursday organised a workshop chaired by Cabinet Secretary T V Somanathan with the Secretaries of various ministries and departments. Finance Secretary Ajay Seth, Expenditure Secretary Vumlunmang Vualnam and other senior officers were also present. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Never Put Eggs In The Refrigerator. Here's Why... Car Novels Undo Through the workshop, the government has "initiated an elaborate exercise for 'Appraisal and Approval of the Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSSs) and the Central Sector Schemes (CSs)' for their continuation over the next five years. The new five-year cycle will start on April 1, 2026, and is aligned with the 16th Finance Commission (FC) cycle," the ministry said. During the meeting, the Cabinet Secretary emphasised the rigour of the evaluation process and urged the secretaries to use its recommendations to recalibrate the design and architecture of the scheme, remove redundancies and ineffective suboptimal interventions, merge schemes and close schemes which have either outlived their utility or have fulfilled their objectives. This will enable optimum deployment of scarce public resources, a finance ministry statement said. Live Events Secretaries were informed about the norms likely to be used for deciding the resource envelopes of each department/ministry for its schemes over the next five-year cycle. There are 54 CSSs and 260 CSs which have their terminal date of approval till March 31, 2026 and are likely to be submitted for re-appraisal. A majority of these will also require fresh approval of the Cabinet. Schemes cover a wide gamut from social sectors like health, women and child development, school and higher education, and tribal welfare to the agriculture sector, urban and rural infrastructure, water and sanitation, environment, scientific research etc. The Department of Expenditure also stressed the quality and effectiveness of public expenditure , and in this context, highlighted that such exercise in the past had allowed the central government to enhance its budgeted capital expenditure substantially, which now stands at Rs 11.21 lakh crore for FY 2025-26. The policy of evaluation of ongoing schemes and having a sunset date for each scheme was articulated by the government in the Union Budget Speech of 2016, which stated that in order to improve the quality of public expenditure, every scheme will have a sunset date and an outcome review. Accordingly, the schemes have been aligned with the Finance Commission cycles, and their continuation is based on the evaluation of each scheme by a third party. The government has been funding the development needs of the country through various CSSs and CSs. While in the case of CSs, the government bears 100 per cent of the cost, in the case of CSSs, the scheme expenditure is shared in a predefined ratio between the central and the state governments. It has been a constant endeavour of the Ministry of Finance to enhance the quality of expenditures made under schemes through contemporaneous design and architecture and better targeting. The Development Monitoring Evaluation Organisation (DMEO) in Niti Aayog conducts an evaluation of the CSSs while the evaluation of the CSs is being conducted by third-party agencies selected by the ministry concerned. PTI
Scroll.in
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Scroll.in
Indus Waters Treaty will stay suspended until Pakistan stops ‘support for terrorism': New Delhi
The Indus Waters Treaty will stay suspended until Pakistan 'credibly and irrevocably' stop its 'support for cross-border terrorism', the Union Jal Shakti Ministry has informed the Cabinet secretary, reported PTI on Saturday. On April 23, a day after the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 persons were killed, India suspended the 1960 agreement on water sharing, citing Islamabad's support for 'sustained cross-border terrorism'. On Tuesday, Debashree Mukherjee, secretary in the Water Resources Ministry, reiterated in the monthly report to Cabinet Secretary TV Somanathan that the treaty was kept in 'abeyance' in the aftermath of the 'Pakistan-sponsored' attack. The treaty sought to divide the water of the Indus river and its tributaries equitably between the two countries. Under the treaty, water from three eastern rivers – Beas, Ravi and Sutlej – were allocated to India and from the three western rivers – Chenab, Indus and Jhelum – to Pakistan. The treaty permitted both countries to use the other's rivers for certain purposes, such as small hydroelectric projects that require little or no water storage. It allowed for the harnessing of the Chenab, which is one of the western rivers in the Indus Water system, for power generation. Pakistan had earlier said that India's suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty was an 'act of war' and warned that it would respond with 'full force across the complete spectrum of national power'. Islamabad called New Delhi's actions 'unilateral, unjust, politically motivated, extremely irresponsible and devoid of legal merit', according to a statement of Pakistan's National Security Committee published by Dawn. On May 10, India and Pakistan reached an 'understanding' to halt firing following a four-day conflict. Tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad had escalated on May 7 when the Indian military carried out strikes – codenamed Operation Sindoor – on what it claimed were terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The strikes were in response to the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam. The Pakistan Army retaliated to Indian strikes by repeatedly shelling Indian villages along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. At least 22 Indian civilians and seven defence personnel were killed.
Hans India
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Indus Waters Treaty will remain suspended
New Delhi: The Indus Waters Treaty will remain suspended 'until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism', the Union Jal Shakti ministry has conveyed to the cabinet secretary. In its monthly report to Cabinet Secretary TV Somanathan, Debashree Mukherjee -- secretary in the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation under the ministry -- said the government announced that the treaty would be held in 'abeyance' with immediate effect in the aftermath of the 'Pakistan-sponsored' terror attack on civilians in Pahalgam. 'The key water-sharing treaty will remain suspended until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism,' Mukherjee said in her report. Brokered by the World Bank in 1960, the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) governed the distribution and use of the Indus river and its tributaries between India and Pakistan. According to sources, Pakistan's Water Resources Secretary Syed Ali Murtaza had expressed his government's readiness to discuss specific objections raised by New Delhi. However, the Indian government remains firm on its decision to hold the accord in abeyance.
Time of India
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
IWT will be on hold till Pak totally stops terror export: Govt
PTI photo NEW DELHI: The Indus Waters Treaty will remain suspended 'until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism', Union Jal Shakti ministry has conveyed to the cabinet secretary in its monthly report. Though the ministry has articulated the country's well stated position on the issue after keeping the treaty in abeyance, the communication assumes significance in the wake of the latest missive from Pakistan appealing to India to reconsider the 1960 treaty, citing the dependence of millions of people on the water being regulated by it. In a report to cabinet secretary T V Somanathan on Tuesday, Debashree Mukherjee, secretary of Jal Shakti ministry, said the govt announced that the treaty would be held in 'abeyance' with immediate effect in the aftermath of the 'Pakistan-sponsored' terror attack on civilians in Pahalgam. 'The key water-sharing treaty will remain suspended until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism ,' she said in her report.
