I would like to come to the specific points. I have dealt with the first category of criticisms. I would now like to go into some of the other specific criticisms that were made. The first criticism in this respect was about the large surrenders on sanctioned amounts. I would like to take a few minutes of this House on that point, because this hon. House is entitled to know the facts. When it sanctions a certain amount for some important work and if it is not spent, naturally they are entitled to seek an explanation for it, and I owe an explanation to this hon. House. If we see the estimated budget, we will find that really speaking, the surrendered amount comes to about Rs. 58 crores. Out of this Rs. 58 crores, Rs. 14 crores is on the revenue account and nearly Rs. 44 crores on capital account. First of all, I would like to invite the attention of this hon. House to the fact that attempt this year was of a very tremendous size. This year, practically we had doubled the budgeted amounts compared to the last year. That means our efforts at defence preparedness are trying to absorb 100 per cent more money. In this, the money which is not spent comes to about five to six per cent. It is not a question of percentage, but sometimes percentages also are useful to know the size of the problem.
As I said, Rs. 14 crores could not be spent as far as the revenue account was concerned. Rs. 44 crores was on the capital account, out of which Rs. 33 crores or Rs. 34 crores come under the new factories. I would like the hon. House to see the difficulties. This effort at establishing the new factories was carried to the possibility of getting aid from other countries. It was not merely a question of spending the rupee element of it in this country, because we cannot start spending the money on the construction of factories in anticipation of the type of machinery that we are likely to get. With all our efforts fact is that we could not succeed in getting aid for this production effort except one factory unit St. Louis unit, which is going to be established at Varangoan for the small arms ammunition.
It was not .a question of our declining. It did not materialise, I should say. I do not want to put it negatively because it is not a question of blaming anybody, because they may have their own difficulties possibly. Perhaps it would be necessary for us even now, this year to depend on aid, but suppose, if we do not get aid, the question is whether we have to forego some our of other things in the planning division and try to have this production base. It will be a rather important decision for the Government as a whole. As I said, we have to take into consideration the strategic, economic development also. But certainly we would like to take further efforts in that direction. But why is it that large amounts on capital expenditure could not be spent ? The reason was, it was for certain uncertain factors, over which neither I nor the Defence Ministry or the Government or this hon. House had any control. This particular fact has to he taken into consideration. I am merely trying to explain things. I do not say that I am satisfied with this, I am not satisfied.
I can assure the hon. Member Shri Tyagi that the revised estimate amounts will be spent. Whatever check that one can make— as the hon. Member himself is aware how these checks can be made— will be made and I have come to the conclusion that the revised estimate amounts would he spent.
Approximately about Rs. 600 crores were spent. Naturally the hulk of the expenditure comes in the last three months. For example, the salaries and pay are always accounted for on the quarterly basis. The pay etc. of the entire services will be credited in the month of March. I gave this point just to illustrate my argument.
