Projects proposed by MLAs during pre-Budget consultations
Rs 986 crore earmarked for time-bound execution
Srinagar, Mar 07: The Jammu and Kashmir government has approved 5,881 development works estimated at ₹22,275 crore that were proposed by MLAs during pre-Budget consultations ahead of the 2025–26 Budget.
This appears to be one of the most extensive incorporations of legislators’ demands into public spending plans in recent years.
The projects emerged from a larger pool of works suggested by elected representatives during discussions preceding the Budget exercise, indicating the scale at which legislators’ recommendations are now feeding into the Union Territory’s capital expenditure planning.
According to the details accessed by Rising Kashmir, 7,909 works identified by MLAs were submitted to administrative departments for feasibility assessment and cost estimates, with authorities eventually accommodating 5,881 projects in the UT Capex framework.
The government has already earmarked around ₹986 crore in the current financial year for the time-bound execution of these works, signalling an effort to push implementation of projects recommended by legislators.
The move comes after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who also holds the Finance portfolio, presented his first Budget in March 2025, following extensive consultations with stakeholders, including legislators from both treasury and opposition benches. The consultative approach was repeated before the presentation of the government’s second Budget earlier this year.
While large infrastructure initiatives are primarily routed through the UT Capex programme, a significant portion of localised development works is being executed through District Capex and the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), which allows MLAs to recommend projects directly in their constituencies.
Details show that MLAs have recommended nearly 12,000 works under the CDF scheme so far, amounting to around ₹313 crore against an allocation of ₹427 crore, reflecting substantial utilisation of constituency-level development funds.
Separately, more than 71,000 works with an estimated cost of about ₹1,307 crore are currently underway under District Capex funding, indicating the scale of smaller infrastructure and community projects being executed across districts.
Officials said most projects have already moved beyond the approval stage, with administrative clearances, tendering and allotment processes completed for the majority of new works.
Data indicates that around 96 per cent of newly approved works are already under execution, suggesting a rapid rollout following the completion of procedural requirements.
So far, around ₹500 crore has been spent on these projects, reflecting early progress in the current financial cycle.
The government has also expanded digital monitoring tools aimed at tracking development works and public expenditure in real time.
Funds allocation and spending are being monitored through the Budget Estimation and Allocation Monitoring System (BEAMS) within the Finance Department, while the Photographic Record of On-site Facility (PROOF) system requires geo-tagged images of works at different stages before contractors’ payments are cleared.
All completed projects are also subjected to annual physical verification by field officers of the Planning, Development and Monitoring Department, operating under district administrations across the Union Territory.
To enhance transparency, details of ongoing projects, including administrative approvals, technical sanctions, contracts and expenditure, are being published on the Janbhagidari portal, enabling the public to track development works across sectors.
Regular review meetings at departmental and district levels are also being conducted to monitor the progress of projects and address implementation bottlenecks.
With thousands of projects now linked directly to legislators’ recommendations, the government’s development strategy appears to be increasingly anchored in constituency-level demands feeding into the broader capital expenditure framework of the Union Territory.
