GENERAL SYSTEM OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT (Including General Principles of Expenditure & Payment)

2 GENERAL SYSTEM OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT 1. STARTING POINT IS THE BUDGET. 2. BUDGET INDICATES THE AVAILABLE FUNDS APPROVED FOR VARIOUS ACTIVITIES OF AN ORGANIZATION.

3 GENERAL SYSTEM OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT 3.RESPONSIBILITY OF CONTROLLING OFFICER IN RESPECT OF BUDGET ALLOCATION : The duties and responsibilities of a controlling officer in respect of funds placed at his disposal are to ensure :-

4 GENERAL SYSTEM OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT (i)that the expenditure does not exceed the budget allocation. (ii) that the expenditure is incurred for the purpose for which funds have been provided. (iii) that the expenditure is incurred in public interest.

5 GENERAL SYSTEM OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT (iv) that adequate control mechanism is functioning in his department for prevention, detection of errors and irregularities in the financial proceedings of his subordinate offices and to guard against waste and loss of public money, and (v) that mechanism or checks contemplated at (iv) above are effectively applied. [Rule 26 of GFRs].

6 GENERAL SYSTEM OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT Note : “Controlling Officer” means an officer entrusted by a Department of the Central Government with the responsibility of controlling the incurring of expenditure and/or the collection of revenue. The term shall include a Head of Department and also an Administrator.

7 GENERAL SYSTEM OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT 4. AVAILABILITY OF BUDGET DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A SANCTION OR PERMISSION TO INCUR EXPENDITURE. 5.NO AUTHORITY MAY INCUR ANY EXPENDITURE FROM GOVERNMENT ACCOUNT UNLESS THE SAME HAS BEEN SANCTIONED BY A COMPETENT AUTHORITY. [Rules 22 of GFRs]

8 GENERAL SYSTEM OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT 6.FOR ACCORDING OF APPROVAL TO DIFFERENT TYPES AND AMOUNTS OF EXPENDITURE, GOVERNMENT HAVE PRESCRIBED RULES – “DELEGATION OF FINANCIAL POWERS RULES, 1978” (DFPRs). THE DFPRs LAY DOWN THE LIMITS OF FINANCIAL POWERS THAT CAN BE EXERCISED BY VARIOUS AUTHORITIES IN RESPECT OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF EXPENDITURE. 7.POWERS NOT DELEGATED TO ANY AUTHORITY BY DFPRs VEST WITH MINISTRY OF FINANCE.

9 GENERAL SYSTEM OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT 8. PROVISION OF FUNDS FOR SANCTION : 1. All Sanctions to the expenditure shall indicate the details of the provisions in the relevant grant or appropriation wherefrom such expenditure is to be met. 2.All proposals for sanction to expenditure, shall indicate whether such expenditure can be met by valid appropriation or reappropriation.

10 GENERAL SYSTEM OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT 3. In cases where it becomes necessary to issue a sanction to expenditure before funds are communicated, the sanction should specify that such expenditure is subject to funds being communicated in the Budget of the year. [Rule 25 of GFRs]

11 GENERAL SYSTEM OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT 9.STANDARDS OF FINANCIAL PROPRIETY: Among the principles on which emphasis is generally laid are the following : (i) Every officer is expected to exercise the same vigilance in respect of expenditure incurred from public moneys as a person of ordinary prudence would exercise in respect of expenditure of his own money. (ii) The expenditure should not be prima facie more than the occasion demands.

12 GENERAL SYSTEM OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT (iii) No authority should exercise its powers of sanctioning expenditure to pass an order which will be directly or indirectly to its own advantage. (iv)Expenditure from public moneys should not be incurred for the benefit of a particular person or a section of people, unless – (a) a claim for the amount could be enforced in a Court of Law, or (b) the expenditure is in pursuance of a recognized policy or custom.

13 GENERAL SYSTEM OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT (v)The amount of allowances granted to meet expenditure of a particular type should be so regulated that the allowances are not on the whole a source of profit to the recipient. [Rule 21 of GFRs]

14 GENERAL SYSTEM OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT 10.Date of effect of sanction : 1. Subject to fulfillment of the provisions of Rule 6 of the Delegation of Financial Powers Rules, 1978, all rules, sanction or orders shall come into force from the date of issue unless any other date from which they shall come into force is specified therein. 2.Date of creation to be indicated in sanction for temporary posts : Orders sanctioning the creation of a temporary post should, in addition to the sanctioned duration, invariably specify the date from which it is to be created. [Rule 27 (1) & 27 (2)]

15 GENERAL SYSTEM OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT 11. POWERS IN REGARD TO CERTAIN SPECIAL MATTERS : Except in pursuance of the general delegation made by, or with the approval of the President, a subordinate authority shall not, without the previous consent of the Finance Ministry, issue an order which – (i) involves any grant of land, or assignment of revenue, or concession, grant, lease or licence of mineral or forest rights, or rights to water, power or any easement or privilege of such concessions, or (ii) involves relinquishment of revenue in any way. [Rule 28 of GFRs]

16 GENERAL SYSTEM OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT 12.PROCEDURE FOR COMMUNCATION OF SANCTIONS [Rule 29 of GFRs]. 13.LAPSE OF SANCTIONS [Rule 30 of GFRs]

17 GENERAL SYSTEM OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT 14.DEFALCATION AND LOSSES Report of Losses : (i)Any loss or shortage of public moneys, departmental revenue or receipts, stores or other property held by Government irrespective of the cause of loss and manner of detection, shall be immediately reported by the subordinate authority concerned to the next higher authority. [Rule 33]

18 GENERAL SYSTEM OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT 15. Responsibility for Losses : An officer shall be held personally responsible for any loss sustained by the Government thorough fraud or negligence on his part. The departmental proceedings for assessment of responsibility for the loss shall be conducted according to the instructions of Government issued from time to time. [Rule 37 of GFRs]

19 GENERAL SYSTEM OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT 16. Prompt disposal of cases of loss : Action at each stage of detection, reporting, write off, final disposal, in cases of losses including action against delinquents and remedial measures should be completed promptly with special attention to action against delinquents and remedial measures taken to strengthen the control system. [Rule 38 of GFRs]

20 GENERAL SYSTEM OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT 17.SUBMISSION OF RECORDS AND INFORMATION (i)Demand for information by Audit or Accounts Officer : A subordinate authority shall afford all reasonable facilities to the Audit Officer or Accounts Officer for the discharge of his functions, and furnish fullest possible information required by him for the preparation of any official account or report. [Rule 39 of GFRs]

21 GENERAL SYSTEM OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT (ii) A subordinate authority shall not withhold any information, books or other documents required by the Audit Officer or Accounts Officer. [Rule 40 of GFRs]

22 GENERAL SYSTEM OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT (iii)If the contents of any file are categorized as ‘Secret’ or ‘Top secret’ the file may be sent personally to the Head of the Audit Office specifying this fact, who will then deal with it in accordance with the standing instructions for handling and custody of such classified documents. [Rule 41 of GFRs]

23 GENERAL SYSTEM OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT 18.SYSTEM OF INTERNAL AUDIT

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