Srinagar, Oct 23: Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo, today chaired an interdepartmental coordination meeting to sensitise administrative departments about integrating Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into their budgetary proposals for the forthcoming financial year, while addressing issues and concerns relating to the implementation of the proposed SDG-aligned budgeting framework.
The Chief Secretary directed the concerned departments to expedite the requisite formalities for operationalising the SDG-aligned budgeting framework ahead of the forthcoming budget exercise.
Emphasising the importance of technology-enabled financial monitoring, the Chief Secretary stressed the need for seamless integration of the proposed SDG Monitoring Dashboard with the Public Financial Management System (PFMS) and the Budget Estimation, Allocation and Monitoring System (BEAMS). He observed that such integration would facilitate automated, real-time tracking of budgetary allocations and expenditure, thereby strengthening transparency and accountability in public spending.
The Chief Secretary also directed that the pilot exercise being undertaken by the Higher Education Department be pursued in a systematic manner, with the lessons learnt and operational challenges addressed before extending the framework to other Administrative Departments.
He underscored the importance of ensuring that departments are adequately sensitised to the methodology and that their capacity is enhanced for enabling wider adoption of SDG-aligned budgeting in the forthcoming financial year.
The meeting focused on familiarising departments with the methodology for mapping their schemes against relevant SDG goals, targets and indicators, clarifying the process of budget tagging and facilitating coordinated action ahead of the preparation of departmental budgets. The interaction also provided an opportunity for departments to raise implementation-related concerns and seek necessary clarifications to ensure a common understanding of the proposed framework.