Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today chaired a high-level meeting in Srinagar to review the utilisation of the CAPEX budget and the progress of works being undertaken under the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) for the financial year 2025–26. The meeting focused on monitoring sector-wise and district-wise implementation of projects under the Union Territory (UT) capital outlay.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary, Ministers Sakina Itoo, Javed Ahmed Rana, Javid Ahmed Dar, and Satish Sharma, along with Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo. Also present were Additional Chief Secretaries of departments including Higher Education, Jal Shakti, Tourism, and Agriculture Production; the Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister; all Administrative Secretaries; Directors General of Budget, Expenditure Division-I, Accounts & Treasuries, Codes/Resources; and other senior officials. Officers from various districts joined the proceedings through virtual mode.
During the review, the Chief Minister assessed the performance of departments and districts in utilising the CAPEX and CDF allocations. He emphasised the urgent need for accelerating project execution and ensuring the timely utilisation of funds. Omar Abdullah directed all departments to achieve full compliance in uploading works on the BEAMS portal and to fast-track the administrative approval and tendering processes, particularly in the Kashmir division where the working season is limited.
He also instructed the Finance Department to compile constituency-wise data of works included in the budget, particularly those prioritized by MLAs. Districts were directed to immediately upload CDF works on the BEAMS portal, obtain administrative approvals without delay, and begin execution at the earliest. The Chief Minister stressed the importance of close coordination with MLAs to ensure that CDF projects result in visible development on the ground.
Underscoring the need for financial discipline, the Chief Minister called for an increase in revenue realisation and a reduction in unnecessary expenditure. He emphasized that while curbing avoidable spending is important, it is equally essential that allocated funds are utilised efficiently and purposefully. To ensure this, he asked the concerned ministers to conduct fortnightly departmental reviews to monitor progress and push for improved fund utilization.
Principal Secretary, Finance, Santosh D. Vaidya presented a detailed financial and developmental overview of the UT as of October 7, 2025. His presentation covered progress under the UT and District CAPEX budgets, sectoral allocations, revenue trends, fiscal challenges, and reforms underway under various Centrally Sponsored Schemes. He also outlined the guidelines for the execution of works and fund disbursement under the Special Assistance for Capital Investment (SASCI) programme.
Chief Minister Abdullah directed departments to meet the mandatory expenditure benchmarks under the SASCI scheme by December 2025 and March 2026 to ensure continued support and benefits under the programme. He instructed ministers to review the progress of SASCI projects every two weeks to maintain momentum.
The Chief Minister noted that while some districts have shown progress, there is a need for others to expedite the execution of works on the ground. He issued specific directions for the timely completion of road macadamisation and blacktopping projects planned for the current fiscal year. He also stressed that vacant posts in engineering departments should be filled without delay to avoid bottlenecks in project implementation.
Further, the Chief Minister emphasised the importance of finalizing critical reforms, such as the revision of mining royalties, establishment of scrapping facilities for old vehicles, operationalization of electronic enforcement mechanisms for road safety, modernization and digitization of land records, and agriculture-linked reforms like creating a farmer registry connected to land records and digital crop surveys. Urban land reforms and broader fiscal reforms were also identified as key to unlocking further central funding tied to milestone achievements.
He directed departments to ensure optimal use of funds parked in Single Nodal Accounts, especially in light of the transition to the SNA-Sparsh financial management system. Departments were urged to utilize these funds well before the set deadlines.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also called for strict monitoring, increased accountability, and effective coordination among departments to ensure that development efforts produce meaningful and tangible outcomes. He reiterated that timely execution, financial prudence, and a strong focus on reform-driven governance remain at the heart of the administration’s developmental vision.
