Karnataka - Bellary   

Lack of treasury code results in funds lapsing

Staff Correspondent

VIMS has decided not to release funds for a school of nursing

BELLARY: Strange are the ways of functioning of the Government. The Government earmarks funds in its budget annually but the institution is deprived of money. The case in point is the school of nursing run by the autonomous Vijayanagar Institute of Medical Science (VIMS) in Bellary.

For the past three years, the budget amount of around Rs. 12 lakhs a year, earmarked for the institution, has not reached it.

The reason being that it lacks a treasury code. As a result, the budgeted amount gets lapsed.

Due to non-release of funds, running the institution has become difficult. Payment of stipend to students, salary and other administrative expenditure is affected. VIMS, which had managed the affairs out of its own funds so far, has now decided not to release funds for the school, sources have told The Hindu.

The sources said that a treasury code had to be created entrusting a responsible official of the institution to draw the amount, which has not been done despite the several requests made to the Director of Medical Education. The intake of nursing students for the three-year course is around 50 every year and each student gets a stipend of Rs. 1,000 a month.

Similar is the fate of the rural orientation course and also the National Blindness Control Programme. "We have been constantly reminding the Director of Medical Education to allot a treasury code and release the funds to ensure that the running of institution remains unaffected but so far there has been no response," an official, who did not want to be named, said.

Delay

The work on new buildings, the renovation of the existing ones and other infrastructure at the women and children hospital, a wing of the VIMS, is yet to commence, although Rs. 6 crore was sanctioned and released by the Government in 2003-04. The reason for the delay in commencing the work is mainly because the tender process is yet to be completed by the Public Works Department.

Enquiries revealed that the Karnataka Health Development Authority, with the help of German aid, had decided to improve the infrastructure in all district hospitals, including the women and children hospital here.

The women and children hospital has been functioning in old buildings, donated by a Mudaliar family, with over 90 per cent occupancy. The cement plasters on the ceiling are peeling off and there have been instances of patients being injured.

As per the proposed plan, new buildings had to be constructed with 170 beds.

Officials, in addition to the correspondence, have decided to meet the chairman of the authority to expedite the matter.

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Lack of treasury code results in funds lapsing

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