Jammu, Mar 30: In a significant push towards transparency and fiscal discipline, the Jammu and Kashmir government has implemented a series of digital reforms, making the Union Territory the first to operationalise the Public Financial Management System (PFMS) at the district level, covering over 80 lakh beneficiaries under the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme.
This was revealed in a written reply by the Finance Department in the Legislative Assembly on Monday, addressing a query by legislator Nizamuddin Bhat from Bandipora.
Officials said the government has established a comprehensive framework of initiatives to streamline public financial management. Digital transparency is being ensured through portals like BEAMS (Budget Estimation, Allocation & Monitoring System) for real-time, paperless budgetary processes, while the JKPaySys platform has been introduced to create a secure digital audit trail for all government payments.
In a first for any Union Territory, J&K has operationalised PFMS at the district level, facilitating DBT for over 80 lakh beneficiaries. Officials further stated that Centrally Sponsored Schemes are being shifted to the SNA-SPARSH platform to enhance fund utilisation efficiency.
To enforce fiscal discipline, the government has made Administrative Approval (AA), Technical Sanction (TS), and competitive e-tendering mandatory before project initiation. Procurement through the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) has also been made compulsory. The government has imposed spending limits for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 fiscal years, capping expenditure at 30 per cent in the last quarter and 15 per cent in the final month to curb the year-end “rush of expenditure.”
In the power sector, officials noted that reforms are underway to reduce transmission losses and improve billing efficiency. Power purchase payments, currently made on the 75th day, are proposed to be pre-poned to the 45th day, a move expected to save nearly Rs 200 crore per annum in late payment surcharge (LPS).
Recent strategic initiatives for 2025-26 include J&K’s inclusion in the Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) scheme, providing 50-year interest-free loans for infrastructure projects. The government has also launched a Pension Suvidha Portal for digital life certification to ensure transparent monitoring of pension payments.
The Finance Department maintained that these comprehensive reforms are expected to bolster fiscal discipline and enable fast-tracked, balanced development in the Union Territory.
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