Ranchi, March 22: Government treasuries across the state will remain open on Saturday and Sunday (March 26 and 27) to clear bills of various departments and contractors, among others, to meet the deadline of the current financial year that ends on March 31.

The decision has been taken to make up for a couple of holidays this week.

The treasuries remained closed today on account of Holika Dahan, a government holiday. Again, after a day's business tomorrow (March 23), they will remain closed for two consecutive days, March 24 and 25, due to Holi and Good Friday, respectively.

"We have decided to keep treasuries open on Saturday and Sunday to facilitate payments of different government departments for drawing salaries, apart from clearing bills of contractors and others," Amit Khare, state planning-cum-finance department principal secretary, told The Telegraph.

The finance department has already constituted flying squads to ensure transparency in withdrawals of bills from different treasuries.

The teams have been formed at the commissionary-level. Headed by officials of the ranks of special secretary, joint secretary and deputy secretary, the teams are expected to inspect the treasuries and report anomalies, if any, in bills submitted for clearance/payments.

Khare, who also acts as state's development commissioner, added that the government was also pursuing the Centre for instalments of MGNREGS (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme) and other schemes, funds for which did not reach the state on time. Sources said that chief minister Raghubar Das held talks with Union rural development minister Chaudhary Birender Singh in this regard yesterday.

As far as the utilisation of plan-head funds (meant for development and welfare schemes) is concerned, the state government till March 15 could utilise only 70.06 per cent of the money earmarked for 2015-16 fiscal.

Of the revised budget estimates of Rs 29,905 crore under the plan head for the fiscal, government could spend Rs 20,951.33 crore up to March 15. The spending is already Rs 2,051.96 crore (10.86 per cent) more than that of the last fiscal (full year). The percentage will increase further once the government comes out with the final utilisation figures (up to March 31).

The state has also recorded a rise in revenue collection. Departments, including commercial taxes, mines & geology, excise & prohibition, transport, registration and revenue & land reforms, earned revenues worth Rs 12,072.47 crore till February, already 14.04 per cent more than the last fiscal's (2014-15) Rs 10,586.17 crore.