However, in the current year, i.e. 2017-18, the home department exceeded the original budget estimate of Rs 4,952 crore with revised estimate of Rs 5,748 crore
Are maintaining law and order and citizens' security a top priority of the state government? The government may say so, but numbers present a very different story. An analysis of the state's budget shows that the home department has been unable to fully utilise the budget allocated to it in six out of the last seven years.
In 2016-17, the home department's budget size was Rs 4,487 crore, but the actual expenditure was Rs 76 crore lower. In the year before that, the provision was Rs 4,262 crore, and expenditure was Rs 270 crore less. The story was the same in 2014-15, when unutilised budget was Rs 215 crore. A large portion of the allocated budget also went un-utilized in the three financial years before that.
However, in the current year, i.e. 2017-18, the home department exceeded the original budget estimate of Rs 4,952 crore with revised estimate of Rs 5,748 crore. The home department has made provision of Rs 5,338 crore for 2018-19.
“Between 2011-12 and 2016-17, the home department failed to utilize the entire budgetary provisions,” Pathey, which analyses the budget, said.
Even as state home minister Pradipsinh Jadeja said in the House on Wednesday that the government has recruited more than 22,000 police personnel across ranks in the past three years, the police-public ratio in Gujarat is lower than many other states and the national average.
In Gujarat, the sanctioned strength of police personnel per 1 lakh population is 169. However, the available strength is 120.2, which means a vacancy of nearly 49 per 1 lakh population. Gujarat is 21st among states in terms of vacancies of police personnel.
“Kerala, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Punjab, Bihar and Karnataka are some of the states that have lower ratio of vacancies,” Pathey said.
Nationally, the sanctioned strength of police personnel per every 1 lakh population is 193, but availability of cops as of January 1, 2017, is 151.
It attributed the large number of vacancies to retirements, delay in recruitment, among other causes.
Rs 37 crore for police modernisation
The home department has earmarked Rs 37.01 crore for modernisation of the police force for the year 2018-19. The department has spent Rs 108.45 crore for modernisation in the current year and had incurred expenditure of nearly Rs 64 crore in the year before that.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Gujarat Budget")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}