Centre seeks nod for more spending

The central government on Wednesday sought Parliament's approval to spend ₹1.29 trillion in FY24, which included redistributing funds among ministries and departments.

- Rhik Kundu

In its first supplementary demand for grants for FY24, tabled in the Lok Sabha by minister of state for finance Pankaj Chaudhary, the Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) government sought Parliament's permission for additional spending of ₹58,378 crore in the current fiscal, which involves a cash outgo.

It also sought permission to spend ₹70,968 crore, which can be met through enhanced receipts and savings under various heads.

The government said it will incur an additional expenditure of ₹13,351 crore for fertilizer subsidies and ₹14,524 crore for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.

In the FY24 budget, the government had allocated ₹1.75 trillion for fertilizer subsidies, after it surged to a record ₹2.55 trillion in FY23.