The government sought Parliament’s nod for a net additional spending of Rs 78,673 crore in the current financial year, including Rs 10,798 crore expenditure towards the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005 (MGNREGA).
The second batch of supplementary demands for grants for 2023-24 was tabled in Parliament by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
The demands also factor in an additional spending of Rs 9,231 crore and Rs 3,000 crore towards food and fertiliser subsidy, respectively.
The supplementary demands for grants include a gross additional spending of over Rs 2 lakh crore, which would be matched by savings of over Rs 1.21 lakh crore.
The proposal involves net cash outgo aggregating to Rs 78,672.92 crore, said the document tabled in Parliament.
The interim budget for 2024-25 has pegged the government’s total expenditure in the current financial year at Rs 44.90 lakh crore, up 7.1 per cent from 2022-23.
Ahead of the interim budget on February 1, economists had expected that subsidies, particularly for food, and the MGNREGA scheme would necessitate additional spending.
The second tranche of supplementary grants by various departments and ministries includes Rs 10,798 crore expenditure towards the MGNREGA. It has also provided for an additional spending of Rs 9,231 crore and Rs 3,000 crore towards food and fertiliser subsidy, respectively.
