In a significant administrative decision of far-reaching consequence, the Union Home Ministry has appointed Internal Financial Advisor (IFA) in the Home Department of Jammu and Kashmir. The IFA wields tremendous financial powers including budget coordination and management, expenditure planning and monitoring and evaluation of projects and schemes.
Not only this, acting as the Member Secretary of the Standing Finance Committee and Investment Boards, the IFA will play an active role in appraisal, monitoring and evaluation of projects and schemes in consultations with the Home Department..
On its part, the State Home Department has not only come out with detailed set of guidelines explaining powers of the IFA but has also directed the Heads of Department (HoDs) under the control of the Home Department to strictly comply with them. “All exercises of delegated financial powers must be carried out in consultations with the IFA…” the guideline says.
The Home Department has also asked the departments under it to ensure that any financial proposal requiring reference to the MHA, must receive concurrence of the IFA, who will provide financial compliance views and record specific opinions.
Further, even sanction of procurement of items specified in delegation of financial powers, including acceptance of necessity for such procurement, must be invariably issued in consultations with the IFA and head of finance wing at the HoD level.
The JK Home Department has also said that proposals exceeding the delegated powers of the HoDs must be referred to the Home Department with the IFA’s concurrence and recommendations. The HoDs have to provide relevant records, reports and the files as and when the IFA asks for them.
