WBFIN: West Bengal Finance Department

WBPAYJune 5, 2019Last Updated: June 13, 2023

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Introduction:

The Finance Department of West Bengal is responsible for financial management of the State Government. It is concerned with all economic and financial matters affecting the State as a whole including mobilization of resources and allocation of resources for infrastructural development, social welfare, human development and administrative purposes. The major functions and activities of the Finance Department are budgeting and preparation of the Annual Financial Statement, approval of schemes pertaining to various Departments, monitoring of expenditure, facilitating collection of taxes through the Directorates under its administrative control, administration of Treasuries, Institutional Finance and internal audit of Government Departments. The Department also keeps a watch on current economic trends at the national and international levels.

Location:

Office of The Finance Department is located in the State Secretariat at Nabanna, Howrah – 711102

Functions and Responsibilities West Bengal Finance Department | WBFIN

Finance Department of West Bengal is vested with the exclusive power of control over financial matters expecting the cases where delegation has been made for the sake of expediency. The principal activities of the Department are preparation of Civil Budget Estimates and Annual Financial Statement, realization of Central assistance for Plan Schemes and Centrally sponsored Schemes, to arrange for raising market loans for financing plan schemes in consultation with the Planning Commission and the EBI and for repayment thereof, to decide on the investment of Government balances in GOI Securities, Treasury Bills, Bonds floated by different Public Undertakings, controlling the expenditure of the state, framing rules regulating financial transactions of various Departments of the State Government, framing rules regulating discipline and conditions of services of the State Government employees, examination of all proposals for expenditure from the consolidated fund of the state, collection of revenue under a large number of Acts, and management of lotteries run by the state Government. In terms of Rules of Business framed under Article 166(3) of the Constitution of India the Finance Department of West Bengal is to perform the following functions of the Government.

Functionalities:

(a) It is in charge of the accounts relating to loans granted by the State Government and the previous provincial Government and shall advise on the financial aspects of all transactions relating to such loans;
(b) It examines and reports on all proposals for the increase or reduction of taxation;
(c) It examines and reports on all proposals for borrowing on the security of the Consolidated Fund of the State or for giving guarantees; takes all steps necessary for the purpose of raising such loans as have been duly authorized; and is in charge of all matters relating to the service of loans or the discharge of guarantees;
(d) It is responsible for seeing that proper financial rules are framed for the guidance of other Departments and that suitable accounts are maintained by other Departments and establishments subordinate to them;
(e) It is responsible during the year for watching the state Government’s balances;
(f) It prepares a statement of estimated revenue and expenditure to be laid before the Legislature in each year and any supplementary statements of expenditure; it also prepares the demands for excess grants, votes on accounts, votes of credit and exceptional grants, if any, required to be submitted to the Legislature;
(g) For the purpose of such a presentation, it obtains from the Departments concerned materials on which its estimates are based, and it is responsible for the correctness of the estimates framed on the materials so supplied;
(h) It examines and advises on all schemes of new expenditure for which it is proposed to make provision in the estimates and declines to provide in the estimates for any scheme which has not been so examined;
(i) It is responsible for the preparation of Appropriation Bills to be introduced to the Legislature;
(a) On receipt of a report from an audit officer to the effect that expenditure for which there is no sufficient sanction is being incurred, it requires steps to be taken to obtain sanction or that expenditure shall immediately cease;
(b) It causes the report of the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India relating to the Appropriation Accounts of the State to be laid before the Public Accounts Committee and brings to the notice of the Committee such other matters as should be referred to the Committee;
(c) It advises Departments responsible for the collection of revenue regarding the progress of collections and the methods of collection employed.
(d) The view of the Finance Department is to be brought to the permanent record of the Department, wbfin to which the case belongs and shall form part of the case;
(e) The Finance Department, wbfin may give general or special order prescribing cases in which its assent may be presumed to have been given.

Structure of West Bengal Finance Department | WBFIN

The Minister-in-Charge of the Finance Department, wbfin works through a Secretariat headed by the Principal Secretary. The functions of the Finance Department, wbfin are performed through five Branches, namely, Audit, Budget, Revenue, Internal Audit, and Institutional Finance. Under these five Branches, there are various directorates/cells/units dealing with specific subjects. West Bengal Administrative Tribunal has been set up for adjudicating disputes concerning recruitment and service matters of persons appointed to public services and posts in connection with the affairs of the state. Similarly, West Bengal Taxation Tribunal has been established for adjudicating disputes relating to levy, assessment, collection and enforcement of any tax under any specified state Act. The Finance Department wbfin acts as the administrative department for both these tribunals. The Finance Department, wbfin also acts as the administrative department for the West Bengal Public Service Commission. West Bengal Financial Corporation and West Bengal Infrastructure Development Finance wbfin Corporation are the two corporations under this Department. Subject to the overall control of the Finance Minister, the Department functions under the administrative direction and guidance of the Principal Secretary. Each Branch of the Department wbfin is headed by a Special Secretary / Joint Secretary

Nodal Officer of the Department :

Name	: Smt. Shilpa Gourisaria, IAS
Designation	: Senior Special Secretary, Finance Department
Office Address	: Nabanna Building, Howrah – 711102
Telephone Number	: 033-2253 5024
E-mail ID	: [email protected]

Official Website of wbfin:

https://finance.wb.gov.in/

Related Websites of wbfin:

WBIFMS by WBFIN

Full form of WBIFMS is “West Bengal Integrated Financial Management System“. WBIFMS is a web portal of the Government of West Bengal for the real-time management, monitoring, and control of all fund allocation and financial transactions in different departments and their subordinate offices under the State Government.

https://wbifms.gov.in