DDOs, Treasury officers directed to follow guidelines while raising invoices, passing bills for payment

Jammu: In order to streamline the revenue and capital expenditure the Finance department Saturday directed all the Drawing & Disbursing Officers (DDOs) and Treasury Officers to observe certain guidelines while raising invoices or passing bills for payment.
For timely delivery of goods and services it has been directed to fix responsibility in case of delay. It has been instructed that if delay is attributable to supplier/contractor penalty as stipulated in contract document should be levied and relaxation of these conditions shall be made only with the approval of next higher authority.
Further it has been ordered that if delays are due to concerned executing agency, these matters shall be brought to the notice of Administrative Department for suitable corrective action against the concerned. The Treasury Officers has also been asked to point out cases of exceptional delays by respective DDOs without adequate reasons and submit Monthly Delay Reports (MDRs) to Finance department.
As a breather to contractors it has been said in the order to release payments to the contractors of the executed works within the time frame laid down as per contract. It has also been directed that the security deposit of contractors shall remain withheld for defect liability period and shall be released only after satisfactory completion of work and report by the concerned authority.
In order to see for the mismatch in the amount of work done on ground and in work order the Treasury Officers have been ordered to check Measurement Books duly signed by the concerned executing agency while preferring their invoices to the treasuries. It has also been instructed that no bill beyond the allotted cost shall be entertained in the treasuries. No deviation in the scope of work after the work has been tendered, reads one of the instructions.
It has been ordered that bills on account of rent shall only be entertained in the treasury when accompanied by relevant Rent Assessment Order issued by the competent authority.
Moreover the Power Development Department has been advised to provide online electricity bills on monthly basis to each DDO. They in turn have been directed to contra-credit the monthly billed amount through JKPAYSYS only.
To make the fund transfer to beneficiaries of government schemes exclusively through DBT it has been impressed that no beneficiary related bills shall be entertained by the treasury officer unless schemes are registered on the PFMS portal w.e.f February 2021.