Key areas of national security like the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID), Land Ports Authority of India, BSF Air Wing and criminology and forensic science facilities have not been able to spend the money allocated to them in the Union budget in the last fiscal.
The provision for the National Intelligence Grid is aimed at creating a facility to improve capability to counter internal security threats by linking key databases as an input to law enforcement agencies in combating terrorism.
The NATGRID had got a budgetary allocation of Rs 45.57 crore in 2017-18 but it could spend only Rs 22.77 crore, according to the revised estimates of expenditure. However, the union budget 2018-19 has once again put Rs 47.28 crore in its kitty.
Another area where not much has been done to spend the money allocated to it last year is the Land Ports Authority of India, which is critical for border security, especially after terror attacks like 26/11. The LPA, which oversees and regulates the construction, management and maintenance of integrated checkposts to provide better administration and cohesive management of cross-border movement of people and goods, received a budgetary allocation of Rs 300 crore last fiscal but spent only Rs 100 crore. It has once again got a budget of Rs 236 crore.
The Special Infrastructure Scheme for leftwing extremism areas however has done well. It had an allocation of Rs 1,222 crore, but spent Rs 1,766 crore. This year, the government has again allocated Rs 2,260 crore for the scheme, which provides special Central assistance to 35 worst-affected districts in the leftwing extremist-affected areas besides assisting central agencies for LWE management, civic action programmes and media plan activities in various states to counter the naxal propaganda.
The much-touted National Emergency Response System and Cyber Crime Prevention against Women and Children, envisaged by the home ministry as a centralised system to provide help to women and children after the brutal Nirbhaya rape case, has still not seen the light of the day. The budgetary allocation for it was Rs 313 crore last fiscal but only Rs 192 crore was spent. The government has reduced its allocation to Rs 81.75 crore this year.
Similar is the fate of BSF Air Wing, which spent only Rs 156 crore out of Rs 313 crore allocated to it last year. This year, it has got an allocation of Rs 175.06 crore. Each year, the union budget allocates funds under the head of BSF Air Wing, Aircrafts, River Boats and Helibase, which is meant for procurement and maintenance of aircraft, water boats and helicopters for the use of central armed police forces.
However, despite the BSF being keen to expand and improve its Air Wing, the pace is slow and needs urgent attention of the union home ministry.
Similar focus needs to be given to utilise funds allocated in the field of criminology and forensic science, which covers administrative expenditure of the Directorate of Forensic Science and Central Forensic Science Laboratories. The provision is also meant for the modernisation of Central Forensic Science Laboratories with emphasis on human resources development and research and development schemes, establishment of regional forensic laboratories and DNA centres. But the funds lie under-utilised. Against Rs 67 crore allocated last fiscal, only Rs 61 crore was used. The government has allocated Rs 73 crore in this area now.
Education, training and research for improved policing, a key focus area of union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, also requires the much-needed push as funds being allocated for it have not been exhausted.
Out of Rs 287 crore allocated last fiscal, Rs 237 crore was spent. Now, Rs 309.14 crore has been pumped in by the government again, which will help in training, research and development for better efficiency in policing. These funds are utilised by the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy, Central Detective Training School, National Institute of Criminology and Forensic Science, North East Police Academy, Central Academy of Police Training, Central Detective Training School, Bureau of Police Research and Development and Central Armed Police Forces Institute of Medical Science.
There was also under-utilisation of funds by the National Security Council Secretariat, the secretariat of the National Security Council headed by the prime minister, which saw a tenfold hike in its budget last year. Out of Rs 333.58 crore allocated to it in 2017-18, only Rs 168.08 was spent. The new allocation to NSCS for 2018-19 is Rs 303 crore. In 2016-17, the NSCS had a budget allocation of Rs 39 crore only.
Incidentally, if some key areas lagged behind in exhausting the budget allocation last fiscal, there are other areas where the government overshot its expenditure. These were on salaries, sumptuary and other allowances and travel by cabinet ministers, ministers of state and ex-prime ministers.
This also includes provision for maintenance of aircraft utilised for VVIP travel. Against funds to the tune of Rs 260.67 crore allocated under the head 'Council of Ministers', which covers all of the aforementioned categories, a total of Rs 418.49 crore was spent, according to the revised estimates of expenditure. The budgetary allocation for it is now Rs 295.81 crore.
The Cabinet Secretariat also spent Rs 57 crore against an allocated Rs 49.9 crore and now has got Rs 59 crore in its kitty. The hospitality and entertainment expenses also went up from Rs 5 crore to 5.07 crore and now has Rs 5.22 crore in its kitty.
This covers provisions for expenditure on government hospitality and entertainment of foreign state guests, official entertainment arranged at Rashtrapati Bhawan on behalf of the vice president and prime minister, reception on national days, investiture and ceremonies for presentation of credentials and so on.
