BRIDGING THE FUNDING GAP: A SURVEY-BASED ASSESSMENT OF BUDGET ADEQUACY AND FUND UTILISATION IN THE CLOUD-ERA PUBLIC LIBRARIES OF MAHARASHTRA

Abstract

Public libraries in Maharashtra serve as community knowledge institutions whose continuity depends on predictable public funding and prudent spending. As services migrate toward cloud platforms, the distance between money sanctioned and money converted into usable services has become a pressing administrative concern. Many libraries operate with small grants, limited computing equipment, unreliable connectivity and thin technical staffing. Fund utilisation is weakened further when financial plans, stakeholder consultation and feasibility studies are missing before technology is adopted. A structured questionnaire was administered to 144 library staff and administrators across Maharashtra, covering profile variables and 43 five-point Likert items on cloud adoption, budgets, challenges, planning, engagement, service diversity, training and sustainability. Responses were coded in SPSS and converted into item means, net agreement values and rescaled 0 to 100 scores after reverse-keying negatively worded statements. Because rupee figures were not collected, sanction and utilisation were operationalised through perception-based indicators of budget adequacy and spending effectiveness. Three algorithms were designed: a Likert aggregation routine, a Funding Gap Index that contrasts sanction adequacy with utilisation effectiveness, and a priority gap ranking of eight dimensions. The algorithms are transparent, reproducible with spreadsheet arithmetic and suitable for repeated audits. The Sanction Adequacy Score was 47.4 and the Utilisation Effectiveness Score was 49.3, giving a Funding Gap Index of 51.6 on a 0 to 100 scale where higher values indicate larger gaps. Service diversity, staff training and user engagement carried the highest priority gap scores, while 88.2 percent of libraries remained non-automated. Against three reference frameworks, the proposed assessment covered the six dimensions more evenly. Funding shortfalls in the studied libraries are therefore as much a matter of planning and capability as of sanctioned amounts. Targeted training, budget-linked planning and routine satisfaction reviews are recommended to help library authorities convert approved allocations into reliable everyday services.