Showing posts with label expenditure panel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label expenditure panel. Show all posts

Expenditure panel to suggest ways to improve fiscal discipline 08/09/2014

Expenditure panel to suggest ways to improve fiscal discipline
08/09/2014 07:01
The Expenditure Management Commission, headed by Bimal Jalan, has been entrusted with the task of suggesting ways to improve fiscal discipline, target subsidies more efficiently and imposition of user charges on utilities, reported PTI. The Commission, whose members are former finance secretary Sumit Bose and former RBI deputy governor Subir Gokarn, will submit its interim report before the Budget for 2015-16, and final report before the Budget for 2016-17. As per the terms of reference that have been announced, the Commission will review the major areas of central government expenditure and suggest ways to create fiscal space required to meet developmental expenditure needs, said the media report. It has also been entrusted with designing a framework to improve "operational efficiency of expenditures through focus on utilisation, targets and outcomes,” said the media report. That apart, the Commission has been asked to suggest an effective strategy for meeting reasonable proportion of expenditure on services through user charges. It has also been asked to suggest measures to improve allocative efficiencies in the existing expenditure classification system. The notification suggested that the ministries and government departments would furnish information to the Commission as may be required by it.

Former RBI governor Bimal Jalan to head expenditure panel 13/08/2014

Former RBI governor Bimal Jalan to head expenditure panel
13/08/2014 16:24
Bimal Jalan, former RBI Governor, will head Expenditure Management Commission which will suggest ways to reduce food, fertiliser and oil subsidies to contain the fiscal deficit, reported PTI. The EMC is being set up following the announcement made by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in the Budget 2014-15. "The Government will constitute an Expenditure Management Commission, which will look into various aspects of expenditure reforms to be undertaken by the Government," Jaitley had announced in the Budget. "I also propose to overhaul the subsidy regime, including food and petroleum subsidies, and make it more targeted while providing full protection to the marginalised, poor and SC/STs. A new urea policy would also be formulated," Jaitley had said. The higher subsidy bill in 2014-15 is on account of increased allocation for fertiliser sector. The government has pegged total fertiliser subsidy higher at Rs 72,970.30 crore for full fiscal than Rs 67,970 crore proposed in the interim budget. Subsidy for imported urea is pegged at Rs 12,300 crore, domestic urea is Rs 36,000 crore and sale of de-controlled fertilisers (like phosphatic & potassic fertilisers) is Rs 24,670.30 crore.