More steps on the anvil for expenditure efficiency: Lavasa

Government is looking at ways to improve expenditure management for judicious utilisation of resources while continuing with the pace of public spending to keep the economy moving, Finance Secretary Ashok Lavasa said today.
More reforms via direct transfer of benefits to intended beneficiaries are in the offing and the ministries have been asked to examine recommendations made by the Expenditure Management Commission, he said.
"We have requested all the ministries to consider those recommendations, examine them, make a road map for implementing whatever they think can be implemented," Lavasa told PTI during an interview here.
"On the whole, the emphasis of the government is to judiciously utilise the available resources and bring about efficiency of expenditure," he said.

Based on the feedback during his recent meeting with financial advisors from various ministries, he has asked the ministries to come out with an action plan in a month.
"On the whole, our effort is to deploy whatever resources we have to meet the development expenditure," he said.

Plan expenditure during the first two months has been better than last year, he said.
"In terms of utilising Plan allocation, 17 per cent of the entire Plan expenditure was utilised in April-May in comparison to 13 per cent last year. That is a positive indication," he added.
In terms of non-Plan expenditure, there is a marginal reduction, which is also "a good indication, but it is too early to make an assessment".

Asked how much of non-Plan expenditure the government is looking to cut down, he indicated that there is no such identification.
"Budgetary allocation has already been made, so there is no specific identification of areas where we can cut down at this stage," he added.
Lavasa said the government will extend DBT to about 150 schemes by the end of the year. "Till April last, we have extended it to 65-odd schemes. We are looking at more than doubling the schemes under DBT."
As many as 31 crore beneficiaries have so far been covered under the programme. "Till the end of last year, more than Rs 1.9 lakh crore were disbursed through DBT," he said.

On the lines LPG subsidy going straight into beneficiary bank accounts, a scheme for kerosene will be launched in 33 districts on a pilot basis this year, the secretary said, adding that a similar plan for fertiliser and food is also in the works.