New Delhi: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman sought Monday the Parliament nod for additional spending of Rs 2.35 lakh crore. The amount include cash outgo of Rs 1.66 lakh crore. Nirmala Sitharaman is seeking approval for extra spending to meet expenses for combating the COVID-19 pandemic.
Of the total cash outgo, Rs 40,000 crore has been sought towards enhanced expenditure under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme. Another Rs 20,000 crore towards capital infusion in public sector banks and Rs 33,771.48 crore for direct benefit transfer under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana and National Social Assistance Programme.
As part of Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana, Rs 33,771.48 crore has been transferred to beneficiaries of both women Jan Dhan Account holders and Old Age Pension holders.
“For providing Grants-in-aid General for Direct Benefit Transfer to Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna Women Accounts Holders (Rs 30,956.98 crore) and Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension (Rs 2,814.50 crore) under the scheme National Social Assistance Programme,” the first batch of Supplementary Demands for Grants for 2020-21 tabled in the Lok Sabha said.
The government has also sought Rs 46,602.43 crore towards providing additional allocation under Post Devolution Revenue Deficit Grant to states as per recommendations of the Fifteenth Finance Commission.
The first batch of Supplementary Demands for Grants for 2020-21 includes 54 Grants and one Appropriation.
“Approval of the Parliament is sought to authorise gross additional expenditure of Rs 2,35,852.87 crore. Of this, the proposals involving net cash outgo aggregate to Rs 1,66,983.91 crore and gross additional expenditure, matched by savings of the Ministries/Departments or by enhanced receipts/recoveries aggregates to Rs 68,868.33 crore,” it stated.
To augment the health infrastructure to combat COVID-19 pandemic in India, the government has sought Rs 14,231.96 crore including Rs 5,915.49 crore for meeting additional expenditure towards Grants-in-aid General for containment of pandemic and Rs 2,475 crore to Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
