FinMin to start pre-budget meetings with ministries from Nov 3

New Delhi: Starting the budgetary exercise, Expenditure Secretary in the Finance Ministry will hold meetings with officials of other ministries and departments from November 3 to firm up Budget estimates. In the meetings, revised estimates for 2014-15 and Budget estimates for 2015-16 for Plan and non-Plan expenses would be finalised.

The meeting will delve upon the past performance of programmes or schemes indicating actual performance against the estimated or targeted. The departments would also be required to give projected physical outcome during 2015-16 and 2016-17 and 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 2014-15," according to an office notice.

The meeting would also discuss "any new expenditure commitments arising out of the policy change, and disbursal and availability of funds at various tiers of scheme implementation," the notice said. Since the BJP-led NDA's coming to power in May, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will present his first full Budget in February next year. The Plan expenditure is the government spending on social sector schemes such as Bharat Nirman, rural employment guarantee scheme and National Rural Health Mission. Besides, it includes Centre's assistance to various states and Union Territories Plans.

While the non-Plan expenditure deals with outlay on subsidies, interest payment, salary, among others. For the current fiscal, the government has proposed a Plan expenditure of Rs 5.75 lakh crore, while that for non-Plan expenditure is over Rs 12.19 lakh crore. Total budgeted expenditure estimates, including Plan and non-Plan stand at Rs 17,94,892 crore, higher than revised estimates for 2013-14 at Rs 15,90,434 crore.