Govt to issue 'outcome budget' this week; to monitor new and existing plans

This contains tangible targets it aims to meet

The government will issue its ‘outcome budget’ later this week. This is to contain tangible targets, including output and outcome, that it aims to meet for all schemes and programmes it funds. 

Outcome-based budgeting began from the 2017-18 Union Budget. The idea is to monitor centrally sponsored schemes, partly funded schemes, loans, programmes and any other endeavour into which funds are pumped. Schemes were earlier monitored on three parameters — input, activity and output. They are now monitored on outcome and impact as well.

For example, the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana saw Rs 90 billion allocated to it in 2017-18. With that sum, the Centre aimed to deliver insurance coverage to 40 per cent of the gross cropped area. The outcome it hoped for was risk minimisation by 60 per cent of about 60 million farmer households.

Similarly, the urban component of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana was allocated Rs 45 billion. For that money, the Centre aimed to sanction assistance to 2.4 million houses approved by states, ensuring 75 per cent occupancy. And, work on improving the living condition of urban poor, including slum rehabilitation by providing all-weather self-owned housing units, with adequate basic services and infrastructure.

A senior official confirmed to Business Standard the outcome budget for 2018-19 would be released later this week. It would contain the aims and planned outcomes of the new health insurance scheme, along with other new and existing programmes.

“We will launch a flagship National Health Protection Scheme to cover over 100 million poor and vulnerable families (approximately 500 million beneficiaries), providing coverage up to Rs 500,000 per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation. This will be the world’s largest government-funded health care programme. Adequate funds will be provided for smooth implementation,” Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had said in his Budget speech last Thursday. 

The initial allocation for this, however, is only Rs 20 billion. NITI Aayog and the health ministry have indicated the cost to the exchequer would be Rs 100-120 billion a year. The Union government said it would provide 60 per cent of the funds, with states expected to pool in the remaining 40 per cent.