by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat
Group
Special Report
• AYUSH has set a new
record in non-performance in this area.
• Rs. 203 crores was
allocated to ministry, but it spent Rs. 222 crores.
Prime Minister
Narendra Modi may have carved out a separate ministry of AYUSH to promote
ayurveda, yoga etc. last year on May 26 when his Cabinet was sworn in. He also
ensured that June 21 is observed as International Yoga Day bringing a feather
in the cap to promote yoga globally.
The Modi government
launched media blitzkrieg listing its achievements during the past one year for
the past 10 days. However, shocking details have surfaced about the performance
of his pet ministry of AYUSH.
AYUSH has rather set a
new record in non-performance during the one year of Modi government. It has
not emerged that the AYUSH did not spend more than 48% of funds allocated to it
during the financial year of 2014-15. Of the ` 1272 crores allocated to AYUSH
during the 2014-15, the ministry returned to the finance ministry as much as `
607 crores under the head "Amount Unutilised".
The unspent amount of
48% which was returned is a record of sort by any ministry under the Modi
dispensation. Surprisingly, it happened when Modi picked up party veteran and
his trusted man Shripad Nayak to head the ministry as minister of state with
independent charge. Before Modi took over, AYUSH was merely a department under
the ministry of health & family welfare. Nayak is also holding the
post of minister of state in the ministry of health.
According to figures
available with Lokmat reveal that AYUSH failed to utilise the entire amount of
` 607 crores meant for research and plan expenditure. But the ministry overshot
its expenditure when it comes to non-plan areas during 2014-15. The ministry
was allocated ` 203 crores for non-plan expenditure. But it spent ` 222 crores.
However, when it comes to plan expenditure, the ministry failed to utilise as
much as 48% funds.
Prime Minister Modi
may be laying emphasis on innovation & research of tradition Indian
systems. But the AYUSH has set a new record in non-performance in this area. If
the amount sanctioned during 2014-15 for research projects was ` 224.20 crores,
as much as ` 98.53 crores remained unutilised.
When AYUSH functioned
as a department under the ministry of health during the UPA regime, it was
allocated ` 189 crores in 2012-13 and ` 237 crores during 2013-14. But the
department utilised ` 180 crores and ` 217 crores during the two financial
years.
