THE HIMACHAL PRADESH PANCHAYATI RAJ …

1 1. (Issued and published in Hindi in Extra., dated , p. 2225- 2299). THE HIMACHAL PRADESH PANCHAYATI RAJ (FINANCE, BUDGET, ACCOUNTS, AUDIT, WORKS, TAXATION AND. ALLOWANCES) RULES, 2002. ARRANGEMENT OF RULES. Rules: CHAPTER-I. PRELIMINARY. 1. Short title and commencement. 2. Definitions. CHAPTER-II. PANCHAYAT FUND. 3. Panchayat Fund. 4. Opening of Accounts. PART-A. GRAM PANCHAYAT FUND, ITS OPERATION, APPLICATIONS. AND INVESTMENT. 5. Receipt of Funds. 6. Maintenance of accounts. 7. Maintenance of Cash Book. 8. Application of Gram Panchayat at Fund out of Account-A. 9. Application of Gram Panchayat Fund out of Account-B. 10. Withdrawal and deposit in Accounts. 11. Surplus fund and investment thereof. 12. Register of Investments. PART-B. FUNDS OF ZILA PARISHAD AND PANCHAYAT SAMITI, ITS. OPERATION, APPLICATION AND INVESTMENT. 13. Receipt of Funds.

2 14. Maintenance of Accounts. 15. Maintenance of Cash Book. 16. Withdrawal from Panchayat Fund. 17. Payments from Panchayat Fund. 18. Custody of Cash. 19. Fetching of Cash. 20. Accountant. 2. 21. Application of Panchayat Samiti Fund out of Account-A. 22. Application of Panchayat Samiti Fund out of Account-B. 23. Application of Zila Parishad Fund out of Account-A. 24. Application of Zila Parishad Fund out of Account-B. 25. Imprest. 26. Surplus funds with Panchayat Samiti or Zila Parishad and investment thereof. 27. Register of Investments. PART-C. BORROWING OF MONEY BY PANCHAYATS. 28. Raising of loans. CHAPTER-III. RECORDS TO BE MAINTAINED BY PANCHAYATS. 29. Accounts Ledger. 30 Register of temporary advances. 31. Registers and records to be maintained by the Panchayats. CHAPTER-IV. COLLECTION OF TAXES, FEES, CESS AND FINES. 32. Procedure of levy of taxes by Panchayats.

3 33. Assessment and collection of revenue. 34. Checks to leakage of revenue. 35. Credit to follow actual realisation. 36. Refund of revenue. CHAPTER-V. BUDGET. 37. Preparation of Budget Estimates of Gram Panchayat. 38. Preparation of Budget Estimates of Panchayat Samiti and Zila Parishad. 39 Process for Budget preparation by Panchayats. 40. Guidelines for approval of budget. 41. Supply of copies of approved budget. 42. Re-appropriation of funds. 43. Budget head for expenditure. CHAPTER-VI. EXPENDITURE. 44. Payment. 3. 45. Liability not to be incurred without budget provisions. 46. Control over expenditure. 47. Voucher. 48. Presentation of claims. 49. Pay order. 50. Acknowledgement of payment. 51. Classification of bills and vouchers. 52. Establishment bills. 53. Arrears to be drawn on a separate bill . 54. Fixed travelling and conveyance allowance.

4 55. Deduction from pay. 56. Acknowledgement of pay. 57. Last pay certificate. 58. Establishment bill check register. 59. Travelling and daily allowances bills. 60. Travelling allowance bill check register. 61. Other payments. CHAPTER-VII. HONORARIUM AND OTHER ALLOWANCES TO THE. OFFICE BEARERS OF PANCHAYAT. 62. Honorarium. 63. Travelling and daily allowances to the office bearers of Panchayat. 64. Certificate. 65. Submission and verification of travelling and daily allowances bill. CHAPTER-VIII. STORES. 66. Stores. 67. Purchases. 68. Forms and registers. 69. Receipt of stores. 70. Issue of stores. 71. Storage. 72. Accounts of stores. 73. Physical verification. 4. CHAPTER-IX. DEFALCATION AND LOSSES AND ABANDONMENT. OF CLAIMS. 74. Responsibility for loss sustained through fraud etc. 75. Report of an enquiry into losses. 76. Recovery of over-payments.

5 77. Write off and disposal of stores and other losses. 78. Grant of remission of revenue to lessees and contractors. CHAPTER-X. AUDIT AND INSPECTION. 79. Audit of Panchayats. 80. Procedure for conduct of audit. 81. Submission of audit reports. 82. Re-audit. 83. Compliance report. 84. Report of the fraud or embezzlement, etc. 85. Settlement of audit objections. 86. Progress report of pending objections. 87. Publication of report of pending paras. 88. Utilisation certificates. 89. Maintenance of records of audit reports. 90. Inspection and access to Panchayat records etc. 91. Scope of inspection and access to Panchayat records etc. 92. Inspection reports. CHAPTER-XI. PANCHAYATI RAJ PUBLIC WORKS RULES. 93. Manner of execution of works. 94. Preparation of estimates. 95. Administrative approval and technical sanction. 96. Awarding of works and signing of agreement etc.

6 97. Inviting of quotations/tenders for allotment of works. 98. Authority competent to invite quotations/tenders. 99. Extension of time. 100. Electrical works. 101. Maintenance of Measurement Book. 102. Muster roll. 5. 103. Maintenance of accounts of works of Panchayats. 104. Supervision and technical guidance. 105. Stage for inspection of works. 106. Final assessment and completion report. 107. Release of funds against works. 108. Role of the Vigilance Committee. 109. Residuary powers. 110. Power to remove difficulties. 111. Repeal and Savings. APPENDIX-A to E. FORM-I to 31. _____. THE HIMACHAL PRADESH PANCHAYATI RAJ (FINANCE, BUDGET, ACCOUNTS, AUDIT, WORKS, TAXATION AND. ALLOWANCES) RULES, 2002. PANCHAYATI RAJ DEPARTMENT. NOTIFICATION. Shimla-171009, the 10th October, 2002. No. PCH-HA(1)3 Whereas the draft of the HIMACHAL PRADESH PANCHAYATI Raj (Finance, Budget, Accounts, Audit, Works, Taxation and Allowances) Rules, 2001 was published in the Rajpatra, HIMACHAL PRADESH (Extra ordinary) for inviting objections and suggestions from the general public dated the 12th December, 2001 vide this Department notification of even number, dated 12th December, 2001 as required under the provisions of section 186 of the HIMACHAL PRADESH PANCHAYATI Raj Act, 1994 (Act No.)

7 4 of 1994) ;. And whereas, the objections/suggestions received during the stipulated period have been duly considered by the State Government;. Now, therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred under section 186. of the HIMACHAL PRADESH PANCHAYATI Raj Act, 1994(Act No. 4 of 1994), the Governor of HIMACHAL PRADESH , is pleased to make the following rules for carrying out the purposes of the aforesaid Act, namely :- CHAPTER I. PRELIMINARY. 1. Short title and (1) These rules may be called the HIMACHAL PRADESH PANCHAYATI Raj (Finance, Budget, Accounts, Audit, Works, Taxation and Allowances) Rules, 2002. (2) They shall come into force from the date of publication in the Rajpatra, HIMACHAL PRADESH . 6. 2. (1) In these rules, unless the context otherwise requires,- (i) Act means the HIMACHAL PRADESH PANCHAYATI Raj Act, 1994(Act No. 4 of 1994).

8 (ii) Accountant means Accountant of PANCHAYATI Raj/Rural Development Department or appointed by the Panchayat under section 135 or deputed by State Government under section 136, as the case may be ;. (iii) administrative approval means the formal acceptance by the Department of PANCHAYATI Raj, HIMACHAL PRADESH of a proposal to incur expenditure on works initiated by or connected with the requirements of department ;. (iv) appropriation means the assignment to meet specified expenditure of funds at the disposal of the assigning authority;. (v) assessee means the person who is liable to pay any tax, cess or fees levied by the Gram Panchayat or Panchayat Samiti or Zila Parishad, as the case may be;. (vi) Assessing Authority means the Secretary of the Gram Panchayat or Panchayat Samiti or Zila Parishad, as the case may be;. (vii) Assistant Engineer means the Assistant Engineers of the PANCHAYATI Raj/Rural Development Department or appointed by the Panchayat under section 135 or deputed by the State Government under section 136, as the case may be.

9 (viii) Auditor(s) means the Auditors, District Audit Officers and Deputy Controller of the PANCHAYATI Raj Department and shall also include any other private agencies/persons authorised by the Director, under section 118 of the Act;. (ix) book transfer denotes the process whereby financial transactions, which do not involve the giving or receiving of cash or of stock materials, are brought to account. Such transactions usually represent liabilities and assets brought to account either by way of settlement or otherwise but they may also represent corrections and amendments made in cash, stock or book transfer, transactions previously taken to account;. (x) cash includes legal tender, coin, currency and bank notes, cheques payable on demand, Government drafts and demand drafts and also revenue stamps but does not include Government securities, deposit/ receipt of banks, debentures and bonds accepted as security deposit.

10 7. (xi) competent authority means an authority, as specified in Appendix A or B or C , as the case may be, to these rules, with whose sanction/approval a particular function is to be performed under these rules;. (xii) contract means any kind of undertaking written or verbal, express or implied, by a person, not being a Government servant, or by a syndicate or firm for the construction, maintenance or repair of one or more works for the supply of materials, or for the performance of any service in connection with the execution of works or the supply of materials;. (xiii) contractor means a person, syndicate or firm borne on the approved list of contractors of the State Government ;. (xiv) day means a calendar day beginning and ending at midnight;. (xv) District Panchayat Officer means an Officer, by whatever name called, appointed by the Government to perform the functions of the District Panchayat Officer.