FinMin seeks expenditure proposals for supplementary demands for grants

Ahead of the winter session of Parliament, the finance ministry has sought expenditure proposals for the first batch of supplementary demands for grants from various ministries and departments.

The first batch of supplementary demands for grants for 2023-24 is proposed to be placed before Parliament in the ensuing session, the ministry said in an office memorandum.

The month-long winter session of Parliament usually begins in the last week of November.

The cases that would be eligible to be incorporated under such demands include those where advances from the contingency fund of India have been granted.

Besides, payments against court decree would be included as well as cases where the finance ministry has specifically advised moving of the supplementary demand in the winter session, it said.

"While processing proposals for supplementary grants, the grant controlling authority must invariably identify savings within the grant so that the infructuous or inflated supplementary demands are weeded out and the eventuality of surrender after obtaining supplementary grant is avoided," it said.

According to the memorandum, the ministries are required to submit their supplementary proposals within 7 days from date of completion of their pre-Budget meetings.

The pre-Budget meetings to finalise the Revised Estimate (RE) 2023-24 and BE 2024-25 has been scheduled from October 10, 2023 till November 14, 2023.

The interim Budget 2024-25 is likely to be presented on February 1.

Previously, when the Budget was presented at the end of February, the three-stage Parliament approval process used to get completed sometime in mid-May, weeks ahead of the onset of monsoon rains. This meant government departments would start spending on projects only from August-end or September, after the monsoon season ended.