As the exercise of firming up the Plan expenditure has always been the responsibility of the Planning Commission, and ministries and departments used to consult the panel on their budgetary proposals, which in turn formed the Gross Budgetary Support for the year.
The Planning Commission deputy chairman and the finance minister used to finally firm up the GBS for Plan expenditure.This year, incidentally, the government has worked out a unique process in which both the role of providing funds and firming up the demands for Plan expenditure have been given to the finance ministry.
The Budget-related meetings of the secretary, expenditure, with officials from other ministries and departments would delve upon the past performance of programmes or schemes indicating actual performance, against the estimated or targeted ones.
The departments would also be required to give projected physical outcome during 2015-16 and 2016-17, and the financial resources required for that. “Secretary (Expenditure) will take meetings in respect of the grants or appropriation under your charge (ministry) to finalise revised estimates 2014-15 (Plan and Non-Plan) and Budget Estimates 2015-16 and also to review programmes/schemes for finalisation of medium term expenditure framework for 2014-15,” said the new guidelines.
The meeting would also discuss “any new expenditure commitments arising out of the policy changes, and disbursal and availability of funds at various tiers of scheme implementation,” it said.
The Plan expenditure is government spending on social sector schemes like Bharat Nirman, the rural employment guarantee scheme and the National Rural Health Mission. Besides, it also includes the Centre’s assistance to the states’ and Union territories’ Plans.
For the current fiscal year, the government has proposed Plan expenditure of Rs 5.75 lakh crores, while that for non-Plan expenditure is over Rs 12.19 lakh crores. The total budgeted expenditure estimates, including Plan and non-Plan, stand at Rs 17,94,892 crores, higher than the revised estimates for 2013-14 at Rs 15,90,434 crores.
