Rajasthan clips project approval rigmarole

Jaipur, Jul 6 (PTI) The Rajasthan government has cut a bit of red tape by removing the requirement for departments to resubmit proposals to the Finance Department for approval after tendering.

According to the official statement, the reform, introduced at the direction of Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, is aimed at eliminating what the government called an "unnecessary" double-approval process that causes delays of up to a month in starting development projects.

"This redundant practice was introduced under the previous government and led to avoidable cost escalation and late delivery of benefits to the public," the statement said on Sunday.

Under the earlier system, even after receiving an in-principle approval, departments had to send proposals back to the Finance Department for final administrative and financial sanction following the tender process. This second stage alone added 15 to 30 days to the timeline, the statement said.

Now, once the Finance Department grants initial approval, the implementing department will be fully empowered to issue work orders immediately after tendering. Departments can directly upload the final sanction details on the government portal without needing further clearance from Finance.

"This reform will ensure that announced development works are launched faster on the ground and completed within stipulated timelines with full quality," the Chief Minister's Office said in the statement. PTI AG VN VN